Entwined Destinies
by DarkShine07
Summary: During/post Fable II. Reaver never liked helping other people, but when Sparrow entered his mansion he found himself allured and altered. Sparrow on the other hand, hates the pirate for what he makes her do. ReaverxSparrow COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just so everyone knows what to expect, I didn't sit and memorize every word the characters said. So the dialogue that I put in here is partly based off memory, and partly made up. Also I will have to bend some of it anyways to fit my plot. So please don't flame me for incorrect dialogues. It should fit the basic flow of the game to a certain extent. **

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Bloodstone. Sparrow gazed down the pathway that led into the pirate city with reluctance glimmering in her blue eyes. Smyla, her faithful and beloved dog, sat beside her obediently. Sparrow took a breath and trudged into the port town. Sleazy prostitutes littered the streets, most jeering distastefully at her, a few evaluating. Smyla growled deeply, but just loud enough for her master to register the warning. Sparrow simply lay her palm upon the dog's crown to quiet her. Still, the pirates stared obviously at her glowing veins. Sparrow was proud of her mastery of Will though, and their gazes were familiar.

The Reaver Mansion hard to spot; it was the largest and fanciest estate the city had to offer, and so it stuck out like a sore thumb on its hill crest. Sparrow made her way up the gradually rising slope through the city, her mage robe's black silk dancing with the night's shadowy apparitions.

At the entrance to the mansion, a lowly servant informed her that no dogs were permitted indoors, and then lazily pointed her in the right direction. Sparrow walked straight down the hallway, passing under two doorways, and there he was. She stopped with one foot partially raised when her eyes stopped on him. Reaver stood posed with one leg perched up on a cinder block and the opposite arm raised a master turret pistol. A sculptor busily chiseled away at a marble slab seven feet tall only a few feet away.

So this was the legendary pirate that all of Albion knew of except her. He was very attractive, she admitted, but there was an electric arrogant aura that he gave off. Nevertheless, Sparrow knew she was staring, and not so innocently as she would have liked to be.

Reaver grinned charmingly at her, and she knew she was going to have trouble with him instantly.

"Ah, welcome to the Reaver Mansion." His eyes sparkled.

Sparrow dipped her head in response.

"I do know why you're here, so don't start on the whole begging ordeal just yet." His lips smirked and he turned his head away.

Reaver had already devised a way to both distract this bothersome adventurer and serve his own purpose at the same time. He hadn't expected the adventurer to be a woman though, let alone an alluring woman. He had trouble remembering the ploy he'd come up with to tell.

"The thing is, I can't just run off with every adventurer that asks for my help."

Sparrow stiffened. She'd expected the pirate to at least be interested in helping. "What does one have to do to attain your standard of worthiness?" She asked.

Reaver smiled as he replied, "Perhaps if you had a bit more renown, you know, better known by the people here. Come back when you're at least a _bit _famous."

Before Sparrow could reply she heard the door behind her creak open, and she knew she'd been dismissed. _How crude!_ She thought to herself, and her eyes hardened as she turned to leave. When her back was turned she didn't notice Reaver's eyes twitch to her backside and stare after her.

_How tempting she makes it to accept this proposal, _Reaver thought to himself after the door closed. He was having a hard time deciding if he should go through with his plan to be rid of her. _Why should I care? She won't do it._

/-/-/-/-/

It only took Sparrow a few days to complete tasks for pirates in town. For the most part, doing these quests earned her enough renown to please Reaver's standard. But she couldn't help showing off her trophy she'd won after completing the grueling Crucible challenge. She also liked to let the bard sing the songs he'd composed about her. It didn't cost much, and it attracted a lot of attention. All the while she had lingering thoughts of the pirate mayor. His voice had a velvety undertone that had dulled her senses slightly, and his looks captivated her attention. She hadn't event thought about men since her ten years inside the Spire, but this one definitely made her come alive inside.

When she'd reached her goal of renown, Sparrow made sure her short black hair looked better than it had on her previous visit, and then returned to the mansion.

Reaver had been waiting impatiently for her to return, despite deciding he didn't care. He didn't expect to see her again so soon, but he had heard his servants whispering about her, so he knew she'd been making her presence known. When she walked through the doorway for the second time, he let his eyes linger longer on her figure.

"So you return, and better known this time." He'd resumed his post on the cinder block so the sculptor could continue to _try _to capture his essence.

"I have done what you requested, Reaver. My renown among your people has soared just about as high as possible." Sparrow replied.

Reaver nodded. "Yes, you have pleased them well. And yet, you still haven't done anything for _me_. Don't I get something in return for helping you and your friends save the world?" He grinned at her expression.

"Shouldn't you be content to save Albion?" Sparrow objected.

"I don't see why. I don't get anything out of it. So, I have a little errand for you to run for me. See that seal over there? Yes, the one on that desk. You'll need it to get into the cave I want you to go to. Give the seal to the person you find inside there for me. It's that simple." Reaver almost felt guilty as the woman pocketed his Dark Seal and walked out. Then he reminded himself that there was no way she would do it, and pushed her away from his thoughts.

Sparrow examined the seal as she and Smyla headed out of Bloodstone back towards Wraithmarsh. It looked interesting.

"_Be careful, Reaver's task is more than it appears." _Came Theresa's wizened voice in her head.  
Sparrow rolled the seal back up and picked up the pace to her destination. She had hated navigating through the Wraithmarsh on her way to Bloodstone. The banshees there had been more than troublesome, and the fog gave her an eerie sensation. She'd had to give Smyla her specialized elixir more times than she felt comfortable with. But here they were headed right back there for this arrogant yet appealing pirate.

When Sparrow felt the fog settling overhead, she knew they were back in the vicinity and prepared herself for assault. A few moments later she heard the familiar screeching destituteness of a banshee's voice, and then the ghostly figure rose out of the bog underfoot, summoning up three of its miniature minions. She automatically felt the fire blaze at her fingertips and threw the fiery bolt towards the banshee. As the three miniatures set in at her heels, she let loose her fire ring to scorch them all at once, and then threw more bolts at the banshee. She'd gotten fairly skilled at taking them out quick the last time she'd been here, and so it wasn't long before the banshee screamed pointlessly and sunk back into the bog, evaporating.

Sparrow brushed off her shoulders and looked ahead. She could make out the entrance to a cave, probably the one she was looking for. She walked to it, Smyla whimpering slightly at her heels. She traced her fingers along the entrance and saw the weathered letters stenciled in. Her skin went paler. She was at the Shadow Court. Taking a deep breath, she held Reaver's seal up to the stone door, and it cracked open.

For a long time, she met no opposition in the cave as she and Smyla went cautiously along. They came to a large, open catacomb. Smyla growled, and Sparrow knew there were beasts close. She stepped further into the room, and then two shadowy balvarines descended upon her. She hated the furry wolf like creatures – they were a bit cleverer than she liked her enemies to be. To her dismay, as soon as wiped the first two away, more and more jumped down to her level. She used her Will to raise the dead to help her fight, and alternated fire bolts and lightning strikes at the balvarines. It seemed like they would never stop in their coming, but eventually the last one fell. Sparrow panted slightly and Smyla skulked to her side. She drank a health potion for herself, and then offered the dog elixir to Smyla. It was then that she heard the sound of weeping.

She turned and found a door waiting for her to open. She held up the seal again, and passed through, the weeping getting nearer and louder. She came to a new catacomb. Both the ceiling and the floor reached on in what appeared to be a never-ending vastness. In the middle of the room was a hovering island with three large statues shaped like wraiths. Just in front of her was a crying woman. The woman saw her and reached out desperately.

"Please, you must help me! I woke up in here, and those horrible creatures won't let me leave! I'm so scared, please help!"

The frantic woman almost fell to her knees, but Sparrow caught her. Before she could say anything, the wraith statues twisted, and black shadowy figures that looked identical appeared. The Shadow Judges looked at her, and she hesitantly held up Reaver's seal once more.

"So Reaver continues to send his sacrifices." The caustic voices declared. "That was our deal, but one day he may run out of people to send to us. And then we'll come after him."

Sparrow could tell the Judges harbored a great disliking for Reaver. But she was horrified at what she had heard. Sacrifices?

"You have two options. Either you can let this woman be the sacrifice, or you can do it yourself, Sparrow. Whomever serves the purpose will lose some of their youth."

As the last words were spoken, Sparrow felt the room begin to shake and rumble. She had barely begun to grasp what was happening. She fumbled back in forth in her mind, trying to decide if she could do what had to be done, or if she was going to let the clueless woman take the toll. She finally stepped into the glowing circle before her as the shaking and rumbling got to its height, and before she could wonder what happened next, a shadowy fume and ghosts enwrapped her, screaming and clawing at her without ever touching. Their cool breath was gone after only a few moments, and when the air around defused, the woman was gone. She touched her hands to her face, and she felt her soft skin was a little less soft. She sighed, and knew however she looked now couldn't be too horrible.

/-/-/-/-/

When Sparrow returned the Reaver Mansion, Reaver looked up expecting to see the same person that had left. His arrogant eyes lost their luster when he did not see that person. Sparrow now looked older. _She did do it…_He was so surprised he almost forgot to say something as she glared at him.

"A little less...vivacious, aren't you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Next chapter. I promise I'll get through with the in game story soon and move on to my own plot. My story just wouldn't have a foundation if I didn't start off when Sparrow and Reaver first met. Thanks for bearing with me. **

**/--/-/-/-/-/-/--/**

"You sent me there knowing what would happen." Sparrow stated bitterly to the pirate.

Reaver scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yes and no."

Sparrow arched one eyebrow at this, and sensed she had caught Reaver a bit unguarded.

"I _knew _that someone in the cave would come out looking older, however what I did _not _know was that it would be you." Reaver gave a half smile.

Sparrow just continued her glare. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Reaver glanced up to the balcony on the second floor and saw one of his men headed towards him. "Ah, well, personally I thought you'd be too selfish to sacrifice yourself. No one ever does."

Sparrow gaped, "You thought _I _was going to be too selfish? If that's what you're looking for, take a glance in the mirror."

Reaver didn't hear her; he only had eyes for the manservant overhead. If he was going to save Sparrow or continue with his plan he knew he needed to speak up and decide quickly.

"Listen, Sparrow." Reaver sighed and picked. "While you were away, I struck up a deal with someone who I knew was after you."

Sparrow's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ah, yes. Lucien's men will be swarming in here in any minute now to haul you away." Reaver looked up again and saw the servant looking frantically at him. "Oh what is it!?" He yelled up to him.

"Sir, Lucien's men are pouring into the city this very second! They will be breaking through your doors without mercy any moment now!"

Reaver's jaw dropped slightly, and Sparrow smirked satisfyingly at him.

"Oh this is rich." Reaver said, heading calmly towards a bookcase beside Sparrow. "I've been betrayed in the middle of trying to betray you. How perfectly ironic."

"What goes around comes around." Sparrow commented hotly.

"Yes and if we don't get out of here those soldiers will be coming around." Reaver retorted. He looked carefully at the bookcase and then saw what he was looking for. He pulled a book off the shelf and set on the table, and then the bookcase creaked and swung open to reveal a hidden passage way.

Sparrow nodded to herself at this small discovery, as if she should have expected it. Reaver stepped into the passage and Sparrow followed, hearing the bookcase swing shut again as they left it behind. It wasn't long before they heard the sounds of explosions ahead, and Reaver sighed.

"Already raiding my beautiful tunnels. Come on, we'll have to hurry." He sped up; pulling out the pistol she'd seen him flourishing to the sculptor.

Sparrow armed herself with own pistol, and gathered her Will. Ahead there was a chasm where clouds of dust were floating in the air. She guessed that was where the soldiers had busted into the tunnels. She was correct – a moment later the shouts of the men came rushing towards them. Before Sparrow could see them she heard three shots and then three bodies fell lifelessly to the ground ten feet away. She glanced at Reaver and saw the smoke lifting away from his pistol. _At least he really has a good shot as well as his arrogance._

She shot lightning at two more of the soldiers approaching and they fell away as well. She and Reaver continued, Reaver leading the way. As they went, Sparrow heard something coming from behind them, and she turned her head. Smyla was bounding after them with her tongue lolling out to one side. She smiled as the dog caught up with them and patted her head. Smyla had always been a smart dog. Reaver glanced indifferently at the animal and then dismissed her and kept going.

They continued through the tunnels, Reaver knocking off soldiers before they seemed to be in sight, and Sparrow finishing the surviving ones with bolts of lightning. Soon the exit to the tunnels shone ahead of them and they hurried to it. They came out onto a beach, probably only a few miles down from Bloodstone, and then Reaver turned to her.

"As fun as that was, my ship will be sailing shortly. I'm afraid I'll be leaving you now." He smirked at her returning glare and continued.

Sparrow looked ahead and felt relieved when she saw the figures of Garth and Hammer on the path ahead. Theresa must have foreseen this coming and told them where to find her and Reaver. She jogged ahead of the pirate to meet her friends.

"You made it!" Hammer smiled.

Reaver walked up behind her and looked at the two newcomers. "So these are your friends?" He glanced at Sparrow and she nodded.

Sparrow looked out at the sea and indeed saw a ship sailing their way. How Reaver managed to get all the aspects of his plot set up, she wasn't sure, but it seemed like he had every possibility in mind when he did. Hammer and Garth both noticed the incoming ship as well.

"A nice getaway ship?" Hammer asked.

"Mmm, for me." Reaver replied.

Garth looked back at him sharply. "You _are_ going to join our purpose, aren't you?"

"Of course not. I've got better things to do, like finding more people to manipulate. And right now, I have a ship to catch." With a dismissive smirk and a last inscrutable glance at Sparrow, the pirate walked off, towards the shore and left the three of them staring after him.

"I know he's supposed to be arrogant and self-centered," Hammer stated, "but I didn't know it was that bad. How did you put up with that?"

Sparrow looked at the pirate and then glanced at Hammer. "I'm not really sure."

A subtle sound made itself known a few seconds later. Garth looked up in the sky and pointed. Sparrow looked in the direction indicated and felt her jaw drop in a gape. A large triangular shard was headed towards the beach they were on, producing a monotone moaning sound as it came. It stopped a little distance away from the approaching ship and then a huge stream of fiery red lightning emanated from the shard and the ship went up in flames and splinters. Reaver stopped in his tracks ahead of them.

"A Great Shard…" Garth said heavily.

Reaver hurried back to them, looking quite upset. "Maybe I'll loan you some help before I depart."

The Great Shard came to a hovering halt above the shoreline and started glowing red. In front of it soldiers materialized and started running towards them. Hammer ran at them, brandishing her hammer above her head and bringing it down upon the skulls of the ones that came too close. Garth and Sparrow both started using alternate Will spells, and Reaver used his deadly aim with his pistol. The soldiers came in waves with brief times for respite in between. Whenever the soldiers halted in coming, the four of them turned their attacks to the Great Shard. The spell that affected it the most was Inferno, which Sparrow figured out shortly.

The pattern went on a long grueling time, and Sparrow felt exhaustion beginning to overwhelm her. Garth shouted over the sounds of the pistol shots and clashing swords, "Sparrow, head up on the ridge to get a better vantage point at the Shard!" She looked sideways and saw a ridge rising up from the beach that leveled out even with the Shard. She finished off the soldier hacking away at her, and ran up the slope. Reaver saw her flight out of the corner of his eye; at first he thought she was deserting them and was about to agree with that plan. But then he saw where the ridge put her, and he sighed. _Always having to be so noble_, he thought. _I'd better help out._ He maneuvered his way to the beginning of the ridge, and shot at soldiers that decided to try at get past him to attack Sparrow.

Sparrow could feel the Shard's energy draining and its power weakening. She continued firing Inferno at the Shard, sweat beading down her forehead. In her peripheral vision she saw Reaver's figure guarding the way up the ridge. She was surprised at this. _A bit more than I would have expected from you. _

Finally the Shard showed signs of diminishing. Pieces of rock started breaking off of it and falling to the ground. The Shard started shaking and dipping towards the ground. With the last reserves of her energy, Sparrow heaved two more Inferno blasts at the Shard and sank down. The Shard's low moan ceased and all at once the rock imploded on itself, sending small rocks flying everywhere like deadly missiles, and then a wave of heat radiated out from the fallen mass of rocks that had made up the Shard.

Reaver shielded his eyes with his arm as the heat scorched around him, and then he looked up to see the remaining soldiers being finished off by Garth and Hammer. He looked back to the ridge, expecting to see Sparrow walking towards him triumphantly and with a smirk daring him to make a smart remark. He squinted when he detected no figure striding towards him. He glanced back to see if the others required any assistance, and then jogged up the ridge.

Sparrow lay in a heap with her robes wrapped around her chaotically. Reaver's expression grew grave as he lowered himself beside her. Her breathing was shallow and sporadic. _And you all wonder why I never do things like that._ Reaver sighed and lifted her weight into his arms and headed back down the ridge. By now Garth and Hammer had finished with the last of the soldiers and strode forward to meet him.

Garth looked at the unconscious Sparrow in Reaver's arms and sighed. "It was just a bit too much for her skill level."

Reaver looked up at Garth. "A bit too much? That's it; just a bit too much?"

Garth looked at the pirate questioningly.

Before Reaver could say more a robed lady with a hood shrouding her head materialized before them. She walked to them and stopped.

"Little Sparrow only needs a rest and a good healing potion before she will be well again." The lady stated, settling the small dispute.

"Theresa, what happens now?" Hammer asked.

Theresa glanced at her expectantly. "We need only to finish the ritual. But we will need _all _of the Heroes to complete it."

Reaver felt the lady's gaze settle on him.

"You must agree to help us, Reaver." Theresa proclaimed.

Reaver opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. Garth's and Hammer's eyes had both locked onto him as well, and he knew they were all waiting for him. He felt the dead weight of Sparrow in his arms.

"If you do not help us, Lucien will only continue to go after you. Just because you have all kinds of escape plans up your sleeves, doesn't mean you won't run out eventually." Theresa continued.

Reaver sighed. He assumed they'd probably just force him into helping if he didn't go along with it. "Alright, alright." _I'll do it for…Sparrow. For what she did for me._

Theresa smiled in the shadows of her hood, and Garth and Hammer nodded in relief.

"Then come, we must return to the Guild and get Sparrow restored to health before we can continue." Theresa beckoned them with her hand and summoned a portal that would take them to the guild.

One by one they stepped in, and were transported miles away.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all the support so far! I hope you all enjoy a new chapter. **

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The Guild was lit by torches perched on the walls surrounding the main circular room of the building. There was a dim and ancient feeling to it, as if one could actually hear the voices of the Old Heroes that used to peruse up and down the halls. It had been abandoned years long since past and lost to time, until Theresa had guided Sparrow to it to reawaken its powers. Now there was a new life circulating within the walls of the Guild. Reaver could feel the wave of newness wash over him as soon as he stepped out of the portal. He looked around the room, mesmerized by the history written in the air around him.

He saw Garth and Hammer walking out of small chasms built into the walls, heading to the center of the room where he now saw Theresa waiting. Reaver looked down and realized a yellow light was emanating from the floor of the chasm he'd appeared in. Yellow represented the color of Skill, which led him to assume that Garth's light was red and Hammer's was blue. _But which color represents Sparrow? I have seen her use all three abilities adeptly…_

He walked forward, still carrying Sparrow in his arms, and made his way to the others. Theresa turned to him as he approached and laid her hand across Sparrow's forehead.

"Garth and Hammer, you may both go and rest in the private quarters." Theresa said without turning away from Sparrow.

The two Heroes exchanged glances with each other and then headed down a pathway that led to a different catacomb.

Reaver watched them go and then returned his attention to Theresa.

"Normal healing potions will do no good here." Theresa muttered, closing her eyes. "Little Sparrow has been dealt more damage than mere exhaustion. The affects of her lost youth have cut deep. On the inside she has the body of a seventy-year-old lady. It can not handle what she has asked of it to do."

Reaver felt the guilt weigh heavier than ever upon his shoulders as Theresa spoke. Sparrow wouldn't be in this state if it weren't for him tricking her into doing his dirty work. _But still, I didn't think she'd actually sacrifice _herself_. She had no reason to. The people I send always let the miserable souls they find inside take the damage…and those souls aren't even human. They're ghosts that are just as conniving as I am. _His eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Of course Sparrow hadn't realized the person she found weeping was just a trick of the eyes. Her pure heart had been so selfless and she'd done the noble thing. _Curses. _

"Reaver?"

He shook his thoughts away at Theresa's voice.

"What you did was low, yes. But do not blame yourself for Sparrow's choice. These effects can be erased."

"How?"

Theresa smiled. "Now is not the time. If we come out victorious from Lucien, you shall find out how."

Reaver sighed to himself. How odd it felt to actually care that he had done someone damage. He almost felt like…No. That was impossible.

"Come, Reaver."

Theresa turned and started down a path, and Reaver followed behind her anxiously. They left the main circular room behind and entered a smaller room. There were desks covered with phials and test tubes, and bookcases filled to their capacity lining the walls. A small bed was nested into the corner of the room. Theresa gestured towards it, and Reaver lay Sparrow's figure down upon the downy mattress.

"My task will no doubt consume the night." Theresa stated. "You may go rest and heal."

The woman turned away from him dismissively. Reaver took a last glance at Sparrow and then left the room for the private quarters. Garth and Hammer were talking lowly to each other when he entered the quarters. Reaver paid them no heed and found an unoccupied room, closing the door shut behind him. The room was nothing fancy, nothing at all in comparison to his mansion. There was a bed, a bookcase, and a chest. He went to the bed and lay down, sighing. Even though he had been given eternal youth, he felt all of his 200 years weighing down upon him. His hands and feet were still strong and shapely, but he felt the bones creaking as if they were wrinkled and frail. His body still had all the muscle he had acquired during youth, but he felt sore and worn. He longed to feel real youth once more. Perhaps this was but a taste of what the Shadow Judges had dealt to Sparrow. His mind getting foggy, Reaver fell into a disturbed and troubling sleep.

/-/-/-/-/-/

The cave loomed dauntingly in front of him, the door already creaking open, and the light from inside pouring out invitingly. The young man stood stock still, his sword pistol lowered beside him in his firm grip. Behind him the dead banshee began to evaporate into the moonlight. Further behind lay the small town of Oakvale, asleep at the late hour. The door to one of the small houses had been left open, and the cold air was wafting inside. The empty bed on the second floor had its sheets flung back, unused. No body was in this house, but somebody had been not very long ago.

Finally the man walked into the cave, knowing it was the only way to get what he had desired for so long. The door creaked shut, and suddenly the warm light flickered away, leaving him in a dark and lonely tunnel that left him no choice but to keep going forward. In the darkness, no sound escaped the man's ears. Not the growling of the looming stalkers, nor the low moaning that ebbed and sank throughout the tunnel. His sharp eyes could detect the shadowy shapes of the creatures lurking around him, and he held his pistol ready to use if need be. His throat constricted in the thin air that he inhaled.

He came to a large open room, with columns rising up to the ceiling but not touching it. Rusted chains dangled from the columns, clinking as he walked slowly into the room. One by one the shadowy balvarines jumped down from their perches and landed on either side of the man. He held out his pistol, aiming at the nearest one. His finger rested on the trigger, untrusting. The balvarines stayed where it was, hissing and growling, but coming no further. The protection that had been granted to the man was true to its speaker's words. He kept going slowly through the room, the balvarines still jumping down all around him. They left him a path to walk through their masses, but he still kept his finger poised on the trigger as he moved through them. His eyes were hard and determined; he would kill the creatures if they dared come too close, and they sensed it. After what seemed like an eternity of wading through the balvarines, the man saw the next door and sighed in relief when it swung open to permit his entrance. The balvarines stayed in their room, hissing as he departed.

Finally the man came to room where everything would happen. He knelt on one knee before the three statues as they twisted to life, smiling cruelly at him.

"So you have thought over our offer?" The shadow in the middle and the one right before him asked in a rasping voice that sounded more dead than alive.

"I have."

"And what is your answer?"

There was a long moment loaded with anticipation from the three shadows, as the man thought through his choice one last time.

"I will accept your offer."

"Excellent…." The middle shadow rasped. "You must remember to keep up your part of the deal on time when it comes to be the right time, or else the deal is nullified and you will have to return to make a new bargain, or give us your soul. Now be gone while our feast begins…" As the shadow finished, the cave began shaking violently, and the three shadows twisted together to form one large cloud of blackness, and then soared upwards into the never-ending ceiling of the cave.

The man felt himself being consumed in fire, and his insides seemed to be ripping apart. His body lifted from the ground as a swarm of darkness circled around him with a deadly speed. The man cried out in pain, as it seemed like all his organs were being torn from inside him, and being replaced by hard and heavy ones. Finally the swarm left him to follow the shadows up to the ceiling. The man's body fell to the ground with a loud thud. He felt a pain from the impact, but when he looked at the skin that had hit, he saw no bruise forming. He held out his hand and pulled out his dagger with the other, and then sliced his hand. He felt a burning sensation where the blade bit, but no blood seeped out of the wound. In an instant the burning was gone and the cut disappeared, leaving no sign behind at all that it had ever been. _Extraordinary…_

Suddenly the cave resumed its shaking and the man dashed for the exit to his left. He saw the door open already, and he sprinted out into the night air. The door shut itself, and the man gathered himself calmly.

A gut-wrenching scream rent the silence around him. The man's blood went cold as more screams followed the first. Screams from voices he recognized. He looked and saw the town of Oakvale being flooded by the shadowy balvarines that had left him alone in the cave. Three larger shadows floated in the air above the town like dragons ready to scorch a helpless village. Even from the distance, he could see people running through the streets desperately trying to escape. Sadly, he realized none of them would. _Because of me…_

Horror ripped through the man's heart and the full impact of his decision finally hit home. How selfish he had been. What could be worth all the lives of the people he had grown up with? Had he really thought that he could accept the offer and then come back home happy as ever? Everyone was going to die. Everyone except him…Oakvale would be reduced to nothing but a deserted ghost town overridden with banshees and hobbes. And what did he get in return for this? Infinite time to wallow in self-repulsion at what he had done.

Not able to bear hearing those heart-wrenching screams any longer, the man began to run. His heart pounded and his head ached horribly as he dashed through fields of peaceful flowers and forested woods, with no idea where he was headed. He'd go anywhere to escape those screams…

/-/-/-/-/-/

"No!"

Reaver woke with a start and sat up in the bed. He'd had the nightmare again. He shook his head to be rid of the drowsiness that always followed sleep and got up. He hated having that nightmare. He hadn't had it in a long time. _I left that man behind long ago. _He told himself, shaking away the nightmare's after effects.

Suddenly he wondered if Sparrow was better yet. Leaving his room, he made his way through the private quarters and back to the room he'd left Theresa in with Sparrow. He peered into the room before entering and saw that Theresa was gone. Sparrow was still lying on the bed, and still had her eyes closed. Reaver sighed. _She did exactly the opposite of what I did…_Reaver realized that this woman was more than just an alluring adventurer that had needed his help when she first came to him. She was what his answer should have been. She was whom he could have become if only he'd had to selflessness needed to refuse greed.

All at once he harbored a great hatred for her, and also a seed of love. He hated her for doing what he could not, but he found that he could love her more than this hatred, if he let himself. Perhaps after the whole saving the world business, she might be interested in saving him. Reaver sighed. Without even trying to, Sparrow had already begun to peel away the shell he'd placed around himself to keep all others out of his way, and to keep his unbearable memories away.

_It's worth a try…_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who takes time to read this story. Either this chapter or the next one will be the last one that deals with in-game plot. Yay!**

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Sparrow's eyes flickered open slowly, letting the light from her surrounding gradually spill into them to give her vision. The stone ceiling above her faded in and out of focus for a few minutes before she could get her eyes to adjust and see it clearly. Sparrow took a breath of the air around her, feeling strange to herself. She felt different, better, and yet stranger. _What happened? _Cautiously, Sparrow lifted her head from the pillow and looked around.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

"Theresa?"

"Just try to get up slowly. You need to adjust, but it won't take long." Theresa smiled at her.

Sparrow wasn't sure what she talking about, but she nevertheless slid up out of the bed carefully and slowly, stiffness protesting in every limb. The strange feeling overwhelmed her as she stood on her feet, but as she stood she felt like they weren't her feet. Theresa observed her from where she stood, noticing all the little winces Sparrow gave when something hurt.

"What happened?" Sparrow finally asked, her throat a little dry.

"Well, to put it simply, your body got exhausted and you passed out. You likely would have died within a week if I hadn't known what to do." Theresa explained calmly.

Sparrow gawked at the other lady. "_Died_?"

"Yes. Sparrow, the toll your sacrifice in the Shadow Court had on you was much worse than either of us thought it would be. They felt no compliance at all to give you a merciless sentence. You had the body of a seventy-year-old woman, and neither of us know any seventy-year-olds that wake up every morning and go off fighting Great Shards."

Sparrow looked down at the floor, feeling slightly lightheaded. "How…when?"

Theresa walked towards her and put her hand on her shoulder. "You _did _manage to destroy the Shard, in case that worried you at all. Right after you did though you went unconscious. Surprisingly, it was Reaver who first noticed and went to find you." Theresa shrugged when Sparrow looked up at her suspiciously. "He carried you all the way here, Little Sparrow. He has decided to help us after all."

Sparrow sighed. She remembered seeing Reaver guarding the way to the ridge she had been posted at. She remembered feeling surprised that he would do that. But she did not however, remember him carrying her all the way to the Guild. Now that she'd been informed that he had, though, she was sure she could smell a slight scent of cologne on herself. _Great. _

"To save you from the death that awaited you, I had to perform dark magic, Sparrow…" Theresa stated quietly, waiting.

Sparrow looked back at her. "What dark magic do you speak of?"

"I tried multiple spells. None worked. So, I resorted to the last option I had." Theresa waited a few seconds as Sparrow stared hard at her. "I had to stop your body's aging in time. If you got any older you wouldn't have woken up. You're stuck at fifty right now. Yes, I did manage to erase a little of what the Judges did. But to erase it all, you'll have to do it on your own."

"I'm never going to get older?"

Theresa shook her head solemnly.

"Can I…die?"

"I'm not sure…I do know that if you can it will take a lot of work on your opponent's part. You're nearly immortal."

"So…I'm like…"

"Reaver." Theresa finished.

/-/-/-/-/

"Are we all set then?"

The three Heroes and Sparrow all nodded at Theresa.

"Then let's go." Theresa opened a portal to Bowerstone Lake, and she stepped in confidently.

As one by one the Heroes stepped through, Sparrow watched quietly. Theresa had told her that none of them knew her condition, and so she hadn't told any of them. Now she knew why her body felt strange though. It was like being in a new body, but one that never changed. She still had the wrinkles that she'd been dealt, but they hardly mattered. Smyla was at her side as they waited their turn to enter the portal. The last one to go in before her was Reaver. He gave her an odd glance before stepping through. Sparrow wondered what he must have been thinking to make a look like that. Sighing, she and Smyla entered the portal.

They were transported to the high rock that Sparrow was always transported to when going to Bowerstone by portal. This time she noticed that there were raised pedestals around the edge of the rock, four in all. _One for each of us. _Theresa informed them to each step on one of the pedestals, and so they did. Sparrow went to the one nearest to here, Smyla following.

It was night out, so at first it was hard to tell, but Sparrow knew she had seen something moving in the sky that wasn't natural. Her suspicion was confirmed when a moment later a large Shard almost as big as the Great Shard hovered their way through the clouds.

"Lucien…" Theresa muttered as they all noticed it.

Sure enough as soon as the shard was close enough the edge of the rock, soldiers materialized at the foot of it, and then an unarmed figure was there as well. As he stepped forward, the shard shot out jets of lightning that each seized one of the Heroes. Sparrow watched at first Hammer, then Garth, and finally Reaver were all gripped in the tendrils and sucked towards the shard. Still, the man came on forward, headed straight towards Sparrow. None of the tendrils went for her.

"So we meet again, Little Sparrow, only this time your sister Rose isn't here to join us." Lucien's voice was cold, hard, and crackling. His once beautiful attributes had mutated in his evilness, and now he was pale as the moonlight, and his brown hair had changed to an unhealthy white. His eyes were rimmed red, and slightly weeping. Sparrow thought he must be even uglier than she.

"You've caused me a great deal of loss, Sparrow. You don't know how bothersome it is to think I had you in my grasp for ten years in the Spire, and never noticed until you escaped." He strode closer to her still, measuring her up. "And yet, I must thank you for gathering up all the Heroes in one place for me. That made my job much easier. Of course, you did set Garth free, and I had him conveniently contained in the Spire. But nevertheless, I have them all now. Their power will be very useful to me. _Your _power on the other hand…I could live without." Slowly Lucien raised one hand towards her, gripping a pistol.

Sparrow glared at him defiantly, but she knew inside her robes her knees were shaking.

"I was afraid to shoot you once, but you were a child then." He smirked. "So was I."

Sparrow heard the shot fired, but never felt it hit home. She then heard a painful yelp and saw flashing before her a brown, furry coat. Smyla fell down hard on the ground, panting painfully.

"Stupid animal, with its misguided sense of _loyalty._" Lucien spat as Smyla whimpered and her breathing slowed.

Sparrow gaped at her dog, but then the pistol went off again and she felt the pain, as it didn't miss its target a second time. All went black, and she felt like she was falling into nothingness.

"_It's not your destiny to die today, Little Sparrow."_

/-/-/-/-/

Little Sparrow woke up to her sister Rose's voice.

"Come on Little Sparrow! Let's go play a game on the farm!"

Little Sparrow opened her eyes and smiled at Rose, then bolted out of bed and followed her big sister outside. They played in the pasture full of flowers, in the cabbage patch, and in more fields all day long. Little Sparrow couldn't remember ever feeling so free and alive as she did now. She hadn't laughed like she had with her sister since her death all those years ago. Rose made all the bad go away. Little Sparrow couldn't even remember anything before waking up to go outside and play.

"Alright, I'm tired Little Sparrow. Let's go to bed." Rose yawned, as it got darker outside.

Little Sparrow yawned too and followed Rose back into their house and up the stairs. They both got in their separate beds and fell asleep peacefully. Little Sparrow dreamed of playing with her sister, and in her sleep wondered what they would play the next day, and hoped it would be just as fun. She'd almost drifted out of dreaming and into deep slumber when a faint musical sound reached her ears. At first she just listened, enjoying the tune. But she realized it was familiar, and hauntingly so. She got up in her bed, and tiptoed to the window and looked outside. The gate that enclosed the farm had swung open. Little Sparrow was sure that was where the music was coming from.

"What are you doing, Little Sparrow?" Came Rose's tired voice.

Little Sparrow didn't reply, but she turned from the window and headed down the stairs, Rose following drowsily. As soon as Little Sparrow opened the front door and started out, Rose's voice changed.

"Little Sparrow, no! Don't go out there! It's dangerous!" It was a frightened and bewildered voice.

Little Sparrow ignored her sister's protests and started running towards the gate.

"No, please Little Sparrow, come back!"

She blocked out the sound of her sister's screams. _This is just a dream…_She told herself. _Rose is dead. _Little Sparrow ran through the gate and down the path. As she went the night got darker, and a red undertone reached out through the darkness. The trees were screeching and waving in the wind like claws trying to grab her. If she had really been eight years old, then it would have frightened her horribly. But her memory was coming back. She'd seen much worse than this before, as frightening as it was. She hurried on, ignoring the screams and howling of the winds as it bit into her ears. The music got louder and more clear the further she ran.

Finally she saw its source: the old music box. She stopped momentarily, just gazing at it wondrously. How it had gotten here she had no idea, but then again she had no idea how she herself had gotten here, let alone why she was eight years old again. She pushed further on until she was close enough to pick the music box up. The lid came open.

_You have passed the test, Little Sparrow._

/-/-/-/-/

Sparrow found herself back in her adult body, fully intact and equipped with her memories. She was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She stood and felt the wonderful sensation of having a woman's body and smiled. Then she saw the music box on the floor next to where she had been. She picked the music box up again, and then looked around. The walls reached high up overhead, meeting to form a peak. They were all made of stone, slick black stone. In front and behind her were staircases leading to who knew where. She realized she was in the Spire again. After spending ten years inside, she didn't think she could ever forget how it looked.

She turned to the staircase in front of her, and started towards it. As she reached the top stair, a white light flooded towards her, and she stepped through it into a new room. A levitating pathway shot out before her, and in the center she saw Lucien standing, facing away from her. On each side of him, the three Heroes were floating in the air, seemingly unconscious. A red light from Hammer, blue from Garth, and yellow from Reaver streamed from each of their bodies, linking into the great white light that radiated from Lucien's body. _He's absorbing all their abilities…_Sparrow figured, horrified. She took two more steps towards the center and stopped as Lucien turned.

"You sure have a knack of coming back from the dead." He commented, looking at her spitefully. "What have you got there?"

Sparrow remembered she was holding the music box, and looked down at it. The box was shaking in her hands, whistling slightly. She frowned at it, and then realization dawned on her. She looked back up at Lucien's puzzled expression.

"You remember this old trinket?" Sparrow asked.

Suddenly she held it up as high as she could, and she felt it grow hot and cold at the same time.

Lucien's face went even whiter as he saw the music box, and he almost stumbled backwards. "No! Be careful with that – put it away!"

But the music box shook itself free from Sparrow's hands, and before she knew what was happening an even white light streamed forth from it and hit Lucien square in the chest. He was knocked off of his feet, landing on his back panting. All at once the colored jet streams abruptly ended their flows, and the three Heroes descended from mid air, landing on their feet.

Sparrow was just reaching for her pistol when she heard a loud shot ring through the space. She looked up and saw Lucien's body fall off of the levitating path, down into nothingness. She glanced sideways and saw Reaver's pistol aimed, the smoke already floating away from it. She almost grinned, but caught herself as he turned his head to look at her. All the Heroes were looking at her.

Theresa's form appeared in the center, smiling. She congratulated all of them, joy in her voice. Finally, she turned to Sparrow.

"The Spire still has the power to grant a single wish, Sparrow. You can choose from three options. First, you can choose to give life back to all those who died in the forging of the Spire and Lucien's plot. Second, you can choose to bring back to life all your friends and family, even your dog. Third, you can choose to have all the riches in the world."

Sparrow didn't have to think long. She didn't have any friends other than the Heroes really, and she had no need for endless money. She would like to have Smyla back, but her one dog was just that. One dog. There were so many more people that had lost because of the Spire.

"I choose the first option, Theresa." Sparrow smiled at the lady, who nodded.

Theresa then turned to each of the other Heroes, and granted them all one wish as well. Hammer chose to go North, saying she really needed to be away from Albion for a while with a laugh. Garth also chose to go abroad, wishing to go where he could perform new experiments. Garth looked at Sparrow and spoke before stepping into the portal.

"You should go back to Brightwood Tower sometime, Sparrow. You may find a few nice surprises there for you." With a last smile Garth disappeared in the portal and was gone.

Finally Theresa turned to Reaver and asked him what his wish was. Reaver glanced at Sparrow and then back to Theresa before replying.

"As much as I would love going somewhere new to find new people to manipulate and control like puppets, I think I'm just going to have to stay here. Someone could steal my Mansion if I left. Besides, I don't need a wish."

Both Theresa and Sparrow were surprised to hear this from the Hero of Skill, but neither objected.

"Then, the two of you are free to roam about Albion as you wish. But the Spire…is mine."

With that a blinding light enveloped everything, and when Sparrow managed to open her eyes again, she found herself on a beach, the Spire reaching towards the heavens in the distance on the sea. She turned and saw Reaver just beside her, also looking out at the Spire.

_Now to see what Garth meant about Brightwood Tower…_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Another new chapter…I'm on a role. Enjoy!**

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"So what now?" Sparrow turned to Reaver calmly.

He returned the gaze, thoughtful. "I'm not sure…It feels like I just agreed to help only yesterday, and now it's already over. That's a relief, but still, it seems a little too easy."

Sparrow nodded. "I've been involved with this since I was eight years old, so I'm quite glad it's over at last."

She turned and started walking up the beach, and heard Reaver's following footsteps crunching the sand.

"What are you going to do now?" Came his voice from behind.

Sparrow shrugged. "First I'm going to that Tower that Garth advised me on visiting. After that…who knows."

"Don't think you'll be…lonely do you?"

Sparrow wheeled around. "What would it matter to you if I was lonely? Your presence has done me enough damage already, if you're suggesting you come along."

Reaver was slightly put out by this outburst, but his old self fueled into life. "Would it bother you so badly to have some company? Or are you…_scared _of trusting someone?"

Sparrow's eyes widened. "Don't turn this into something about me. _You're _the one always running away from company in any form other than that of an aroused woman at your bed."

"And what would you know about aroused women at my bed, Sparrow?" He grinned slightly.

Sparrow's mouth hung open as she realized how he'd twisted her words. "You're sick." She finally claimed.

She turned and marched away.

Reaver easily caught up. "And your social skills are lacking because you're lonely."

"I am _not_."

"Then having some company shouldn't bother you so badly." Reaver stated.

"No, it wouldn't. I'd be fine it was anyone's company except yours." Sparrow retorted bitterly.

"Sparrow, those kinds of words do hurt me."

Sparrow rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Oh come on, Sparrow. You don't even have your little dog to follow you anymore. Us humans aren't meant to be alone, you'll enjoy some company." Reaver put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Sparrow eyed him suspiciously. _What has gotten into this man? _She sighed. "Are you sure it's me who's lonely? Or are you lonely?"

"Perhaps a little bit of both…" Reaver titled his head.

"Fine…come along. If it'll shut you up for a while." Sparrow shrugged herself loose from his hand and turned away to keep walking.

Reaver stayed where he was for few seconds, smiling victoriously at the sand. Having to argue to get her to accept his company was a small blow to the victory, but he could show her what he meant by being lonely in no time. She certainly wasn't the kind of person he could manipulate, but that only made him want to stay in her company more. He tuned and followed her, deciding it wouldn't be wise to get left behind, and he had no doubts that she wouldn't care if he got lost.

/-/-/-/

The beach and coastal land gradually gave way to trees and underbrush, and then they into dark forests. More than once bandits sprang out at the two of them, only to be eliminated faster than they could shout back at the rest to retreat. These bandits and other small creatures were made short work by Sparrow and Reaver, but kept them entertained nevertheless. For the most part, Reaver couldn't get Sparrow to talk much. He probed her with questions every night at the campfire, received a few words in reply, and then watched solemnly as Sparrow would get up, douse the flame, and retreat within herself to go to sleep.

"So where is this Tower?" Reaver asked one night.

"Brightwood."

Reaver did the math and decided they'd be there the day after the next.

"Why are you so quiet?" Reaver asked.

"Why are you so talkative?"

Reaver slumped down on his back, assuming Sparrow would leave now that he'd asked a total of two questions. Sometimes he got three in before she dismissed herself, but most of the time only two.

"How about, since you are always so talkative, I ask _you _some questions?" Came Sparrow's voice

Reaver lifted his head. "Uh, sure…"

"How in the world did you get enough money for that Mansion?"

Reaver lay his head back down, grinning. "I didn't buy it, I…commandeered it."

"Commandeered a house?"

"That's right."

Sparrow was silent.

"There was a very pompous pirate who lived there. Ticked me off on more than one occasion. So one day I paid him a visit. He never expected to find a bullet launched into his chest, didn't think anyone had the guts to do it. After that no one argued that the Mansion belonged to me."

"Sounds like some hard negotiating." Sparrow muttered.

"Rather easy, but it depends on which one of us you're asking." Reaver chuckled.

There ere a few moments of silence, and then Sparrow found another question. Reaver answered it promptly, and then Sparrow asked another. Finally she only had a few questions left, but ones she wasn't quite comfortable asking. She picked one.

"Reaver, when did you get so…"

"Charming?"

"No. Self-absorbed."

Reaver frowned. "Pardon?"

"Don't pretend you're clueless." Sparrow said, eyeing Reaver from across the fire.

Reaver sighed. "Let's not talk about such-"

"You wanted to know more about me, so first I get to know more about you."

"Well…I suppose the biggest thing that caused it was kneeling before those Judges."

Sparrow didn't have to think long before she knew which Judges he was speaking of. She knew he had sacrificed a whole town to those eerie apparitions.

"What compelled you to do such a thing?" She found herself asking.

"Sparrow, I was young. Not in the physical sense, but the mental one. I didn't think about how it would affect everyone, even when they told me they would devour them all. I was naïve and foolish, and that's really all there is to it. I made the worst mistake of my life."

"To live forever?"

"Well, back then it didn't seem like such a bad idea. I never knew living without aging could be so tiring. It has its benefits, but it has its costs." Reaver sighed and then looked up at Sparrow, who was looking at him intently. "Why do you want to know this?"

"I just wonder who you would be if you hadn't have done what you did."

Reaver set his head back down. "That is the one question I have asked myself ever since."

Sparrow watched him for a long time without saying anything. His answers explained more than enough to her. She still had one left though.

"Why did you make me go there for you?"

Reaver turned his head. "To the Shadow Court?"

She nodded.

"Personally I expected you to be a young man searching for fame and glory, just as wrapped up in yourself as I am with me. I could have changed the plan when I found that you weren't…but then I'd be forfeiting my whole plot, and why risk that before I even knew if you'd do it?"

"Do what?"

"Sacrifice yourself of course. Anyone and everyone I have ever sent unknowingly into that Court, has come back to me angry, upset, and spiteful. But not changed. They came back as young and healthy as ever. You came back a different person, physically that is."

"And that's what made you join our cause?"

"Not quite…that's what made me help you get out of my trap. What made me join your cause was seeing you fighting that Shard all by yourself, giving it everything you had, and not even for yourself."

Sparrow blinked in the firelight, silent as ever. Her mind had been blown away, leaving her unsure. Hearing Reaver explain himself without reserve was enlightening. But she wondered how much he would say to just anyone. Was it only her he'd told these answers to, like she hoped? Or had he made up something to tell to anyone who asked. She found that most of his reasons were too closely related to her own involvement in the story to be tweaked to fit anyone's questions. He must have been telling the truth.

"Now I get to ask you a question." Reaver stated.

Sparrow nodded.

"Why don't you want my company?"

Sparrow felt at a loss. "What?"

"Many nights ago you barely agreed to let me join you on this trip." Reaver explained.

"I didn't like the idea." Sparrow replied.

"I deserve a bit better of an explanation than that."

"I was afraid of you." Sparrow said evenly.

Reaver felt stung. "Afraid?"

"I thought I would be just like you in 200 years."

Reaver was utterly confused. "You won't-"

"I will be here."

Reaver's eyes widened.

"To keep me from dying, Theresa had to stop my body in time. There's no reversing it. I am in the same condition as you." Sparrow revealed.

Reaver felt relieved and dreadful all at once. He was relieved to think that he could have a companion that would never grow old and die, leaving him alone again. But he was dreadful because he knew living a never-ending life was hard work, not something he would wish upon even his worst enemy to suffer. _But perhaps having someone to share all that time with makes it much easier…_

When he looked up again, Sparrow had retreated, and he knew social time was over.

/-/-/-/

The Tower came into view two days later, causing the two to quicken their pace. They arrived at its entrance just before dark. Sparrow took one look at the cost of the Tower and then turned around.

"Where are you going?" Reaver called.

"Just look at how much that Tower costs. I would have to work for two months straight before I had half enough to pay for it."

Reaver flipped through the pages nailed to the door, and then smiled. "I have more than enough to afford this Tower, Sparrow."

"Good for you." Sparrow called back.

Reaver frowned. "No! I can buy it for you!"

Sparrow turned around and came back. "Why would you do that?"

Reaver smiled. "It's not like I don't have time to earn more money to replace what I spend…"

Sparrow smiled despite herself and before she could stop herself, she was giving Reaver a grateful hug. Slightly surprised, Reaver returned the gesture while he had the chance. Realization dawned on Sparrow, and she quickly pulled herself away.

"Right…thank you Reaver."

With that she walked into the Tower, leaving Reaver outside to breath in the scent her hair had left behind under his chin. He followed her up the stairs, all five stories of them, and found her staring at a bed on the top level. There was an open chest beside her, and a note in her hands. She finished reading and put it back in the chest, heading for the bed.

"What does it do?"

"Garth wasn't sure…whoever sleeps in it is supposed to be cautious."

"Need any company?" Reaver asked, mostly to see her roll her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll just…watch in case something…happens."

"Just…don't look okay? I can't fall asleep with someone watching me."

Amused, Reaver took the liberty to go down one story and give her time to fall asleep privately. He waited nearly half an hour, almost forgetting he was supposed to check on her as he perused the oddities Garth had left behind. What caused him to remember was the sound of a moan. He stopped where he was and listened. He heard small sounds coming from above, and quickly he ascended the stairs and went the side of the bed.

Sparrow had indeed fallen asleep, but it looked like a very troubled sleep. Her eyes squinted tight and then relaxed at alarming intervals, and her limbs writhed restlessly. He watched for a long time and was about to wake her when she suddenly went still, and relaxed. Frowning, Reaver waited. Shortly she started writhing again, but after a while went still. The routine continued on for hours, until Reaver found himself getting drowsy and less vigilant. He was almost asleep where he stood when Sparrow finally awoke.

Startled into awareness, Reaver shook all traces of weariness from his mind. That was one of the benefits of eternal youth.

As he gazed at Sparrow's waking figure, he noticed for the first time how her face looked better again. All the scars and wrinkles she'd been carrying had vanished, leaving behind smooth and healthy looking skin. Even her eyes had retrieved their bright blue intelligent gaze.

"What?" Sparrow asked when she noticed him gazing at her as if mesmerized.

"You're…beautiful." Reaver said quietly.

Sparrow's hands flew up and she looked at them, her eyes shining. They weren't frail anymore. And her body, it didn't feel old and tired anymore. She wasn't fifty anymore! She felt of her face and could barely believe how smooth and moist it was. Faintly, she felt a foreign touch against her cheek, and her eyes flicked up to see Reaver's outstretched arm, and his relaxed fingers, one of them touching her cheek ever so slightly. Her own hand reached up, and she laid it over his hand, pressing it to her cheek.

Reaver sighed inwardly at this feat. He really hadn't meant to touch her, but her skin was so changed, even more beautiful than when he'd first seen her, and he couldn't help himself. When she pressed his hand against her cheek, it had surprised him wonderfully. But he was familiar with women, and knew not to push for too much at a time. He calmly withdrew his hand to himself and turned to leave Sparrow to herself.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to all the newcomers for my story! I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far. This is my first original plot chapter, so get ready for new things to be coming along. **

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The sunlight wakened Sparrow, dancing across her closed eyelids, encouraging them to flicker in the annoying way that left one unable to keep them closed any longer. In the morning light, warm and loving against her skin, Sparrow got up from the strange bed and stretched. She knew Reaver was on one of the lower levels of the Tower, she could hear him walking around and the occasional clink let her know he was fiddling with the oddities below. Sparrow felt a calming peace about her, as if she had nothing she needed to do. All her life she'd felt weighed down by the need to defeat Lucien once and for all, and now that that purpose had been fulfilled, she almost felt empty. She had an adventurer's heart, and she needed quests every now and then to satisfy herself. _But for now, I am happy to rest. _

Sparrow descended down the stairs, and found Reaver on the first story of the Tower, a book held out in front of him.

"Morning." She offered, her voice sounding tired but rested.

Reaver looked up from the book. "Good morning to you too." He replaced the book. "Garth sure did leave a lot of interesting things behind in this Tower."

"Like what?"

Reaver smiled. "Well, for one, did you even notice the sum he left in that chest up there?"

"Actually, I did…" Sparrow nodded.

"Mm. Well, I assume it was for you. As for these books, all kinds of epic tales. I've read most of them before, but you might enjoy a few."

"I've never been one for reading, really. Never had enough time to sit down that long." Sparrow shrugged, not interested.

"Ah, well, whatever floats your boat. As for all these experiments strewn about…I wouldn't suppose you understood them? Garth was a Will user, like yourself, so…"

Sparrow glanced around at the test tubes and phials. "Honestly I have no clue what he was doing with any of it. I use Will…but only the techniques I am good at. I believe Garth was a much higher level Will user than I, after all, he was the Hero of Will."

Reaver nodded. "Yes, well, just wondered. What are you going to do with it all?"

"Leave it be, of course…he could come back someday. How horrible to return to one's home and find it completely defiled." Sparrow stated.

"Yes, I see your reasoning." Reaver agreed, looking around.

There seemed to be an awkward moment of not knowing what to say between them. Sparrow looked around at the room, not finding anything interesting to mention.

"Are you going to stay here?" Reaver finally asked.

"Until I find something else to do, I suppose. It'll get boring after a while and I'll go off searching for some quest." Sparrow replied.

"What if I had something for you to do…"

Sparrow looked up at him, interested. "Nothing like the last thing you asked me to do?"

"Well, not quite, as much as I know you enjoyed it." Reaver grinned.

Sparrow smirked, "Well, what is it?"

"It's not something that will happen in the next few days, but further on down the road. Eventually, the Shadow Judges you and I are familiar with, are going to become unsatisfied with the deal I've made. They'll search me out, and demand another bargain. When they do, I plan on refusing anything they offer. They'll attack, and I will most likely need some help…" He trailed off.

Sparrow smiled. "Are you asking me to watch your back?"

"Basically."

"How long do you think you have until they seek you out?"

"I'm not really sure, but it won't be long. They have been demanding sacrifices closer and closer together for a while now." Reaver explained.

"Why don't you just refuse to send a sacrifice, then you'll know when it's begun."

Reaver was silent for a while, feeling slightly guilty. "Well, if I do that, then they can take away my eternal youth. I'd rather take care of them…without losing that. Otherwise, they could kill me much more easily."

Sparrow nodded, but knew he had another reason, more personal, for wanting to keep his youth. She wondered what that may be, but didn't ask. "What do we need to do to prepare?"

"Probably head somewhere deserted, where there's no town nearby for them to channel their fury upon. An old cave, somewhere out in the woods, a lake, I don't know. Just a deserted area."

"So, we just strike out into the woods."

"Whatever it takes to get isolated." Reaver nodded.

"And how do you know when to send another sacrifice?"

Reaver glanced away, uneasy. "They send me a dream. Not the nightmare I sometimes get, but a dream with a specific message from the Judges. I always know it when I have it. It's never the same though."

"Nightmare?"

Reaver shook his head, "That's nothing important."

Sparrow didn't push it.

"When do we leave?" Reaver asked.

"Whenever you think…the time is right." Sparrow shrugged.

Normally Sparrow knew she wouldn't care for such a quest. She preferred avoiding the entities that came with the Shadow Court, enjoying the live and fleshy creatures of Albion. But for some reason, she saw that Reaver was trying to redeem himself, make up for his mistake, do something _noble_. What triggered the desire to better himself, she had no idea, but she felt like she should try to help him to do it in whatever way possible. Here was an arrogant pirate that wouldn't think twice about stealing from his mother, if she were still alive, asking her to help him do something to stop his selfishness and better himself. People always had personal revelations, she realized, when she was around. Almost as if she brought out the good in people. _How poetic…_She thought to herself.

"So you will help me?" Came Reaver's steady voice.

Sparrow smiled warmly, "Of course, Reaver."

The pirate smiled graciously and came towards her. "Thank you, for more than you know."

Sparrow gave him a quizzical gaze and then nodded. "Sure."

/-/-/-/-/

Two days later they were both rested well and felt restored to their full potentials, so they left the Tower behind to head off into the woods surrounding it. Brightwood was the farthest city to the east in Albion, and also one of the more secluded cities. The closest places to it were Bower Lake, far to the North, and the Bandit Camp, far to the west. Because Reaver had requested somewhere where no people were, Sparrow elected that they should go south, into the forested land where no more settlements had been constructed. For a few days they walked on a dusty path that went in the direction they wanted, but on the fourth day it seemed to stop abruptly, leaving them facing a thicket of bushes and trees.

After some discussion, they decided to keep going south, heading into the overgrown forest. Briar patches were abundant, pestering flies never left them alone, and the occasional renegade challenged them. The first such bandit tracked them from Brightwood all the way to their campsite on the sixth night.

Reaver had been about to strike up a conversation with Sparrow when he had heard the sound of crunching leaves and then a twig snapping.

"Did you hear that?"

Sparrow stood from her seat by the fire, and listened. She caught the sound and then pulled out her pistol, looking through the small scope and into the woods. She caught sight of movement, put her pistol away, and then focused on the Will spell she desired. In a flash of wind, she was teleported, finding herself right behind the unsuspecting bandit. Just as he was turning around Sparrow easily shoved her blade through his gut, and when she pulled it out the man slipped to the ground. She wiped the blood off on the man's shirt, and returned to the campsite.

Reaver was standing with his pistol out, waiting. When he saw her emerge, he put the gun away and looked at her questioningly.

"What was that?" He asked, blatantly.

"Time travel." Sparrow replied matter-of-factly.

Reaver just looked at her.

"I'm not very good at it, so I never used it when we in close combat. But that was just one bandit, so it was a good opportunity to give it a try and practice." She smiled and shrugged.

"Well…"

"Not surprised are you?" Sparrow smirked.

"No. You just could've let me share in the action is all." Reaver stated.

"You can take the next one." Sparrow offered.

And so the next time a bandit came close, Sparrow gave Reaver a knowing glance and he headed off to be rid of the annoyance.

As the days went by, the smell of water became prevalent in the air, and they started heading in the direction it seemed to be coming from. They had run out of water the day before, and were starting to get dehydrated, so they were a little reckless as they moved through the forest. But they alone, and no one else in the forest would have heard them. Finally the came to the water source. It was like a small cove, where the water was the peninsula surrounded by land on three sides. The water had flowed off in this direction from a lake that eventually headed out to sea.

Sparrow took off running as soon as she saw it, throwing her weapons down on the shore and launching herself into the sparkling blue water. The coolness soothed the numerous insect bites she had received, and it tasted pure and replenishing. She was thoroughly enjoying herself when Reaver appeared from amongst the forest on the shore.

He didn't have to look for her when he broke through the under brush, her laughing voice pinpointed her location exactly. He gazed out as she submerged herself completely, swimming down as far as she could. It seemed he would never understand her. She had gone from serious to playful in an instant. He hardly blamed her though. Smiling, he let his pistol drop to the sand beside hers, and went to kneel at the water's edge, scooping up some to hold to his lips.

Sparrow finally resurfaced, gasping in the air.

"You alright?" Reaver called from the shore.

Sparrow turned. "Yeah, it's just much deeper than I had anticipated."

"Did you get to the bottom?"

She nodded. "I had to come up really fast though."

"Sounds enthralling." Reaver smiled.

She laughed and started swimming back towards the shore.

_Wow. _Reaver thought when she stepped back onto land, her clothes wet and sticking to her skin to accent all her curves, and her now shoulder length hair slicked back and dripping.

"You should try that," Sparrow said, "it really helps with all the bug bites."

"I think I'll pass." Reaver replied.

"What?" Sparrow grinned when he looked up. "Not afraid of the water are you?"

Reaver stood and smirked. "You're asking a pirate if he's afraid of water."

"It's not unheard of."

"Well I most certainly am _not_ afraid of the water." Reaver stated.

"It wouldn't appear that way…" Sparrow challenged, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Reaver gawked at her, amused, but indeed feeling the weight of an unanswered challenge. He caught the twinkle in her eyes, feeling a fresh wave of attraction. Before he could reply Sparrow had dipped down, and sent a wave of water splashing towards him with one of her spells. He raised his arms as a shield, but they did little good. He found himself utterly soaked, and Sparrow was laughing indignantly at him as she backed up into the deeper water. Reaver furrowed his brows. "Now that was totally uncalled for." He wished he hadn't spoken; a fresh wave of water hit him straight on, drenching him all over again. "Alright, now you're in trouble." He muttered to himself.

Sparrow was still laughing when Reaver dove into the water and swam out after her. She didn't notice. When she stopped laughing to look at him and found him apparently disappeared, she looked up and down the shore, anxiously. _Where could he have gone…_Suddenly without warning, she felt her legs being grasped and yanked out from under her. She fell into the water, landing on her back with a loud splash. Reaver surfaced a few feet away from, his hair darker with the wetness, and smirking at her. Sparrow gathered herself and then she used Will to force push Reaver through the water, sending up a stream of splashes. He took a breath when the spell ended and came back towards her. When he was close he splashed water towards her, but it was a feeble attack compared to her own. The water battle continued on with Sparrow dominating the attacks until dark began consuming the light, and the horizon blazed with the sun's setting. Tired, Sparrow let off on her attacks, smiling as Reaver swam closer unchallenged.

"My plan to tire you out seems to be working." He grinned.

"I should have killed you when I had the energy…" Sparrow replied, treading water.

"I don't think you could have even if you wanted to." Reaver retorted as he stopped in front of her.

"Probably not." Sparrow agreed, turning to gaze at the sunset.

Reaver followed her gaze and smiled. "I know I have great eyesight and all, but I wouldn't need it to tell you there's almost nothing as beautiful as seeing the sunset."

"_Almost _nothing?" Sparrow questioned.

"Almost nothing." Reaver repeated.

Sparrow expected to hear him speak of some special ship he owned, or perhaps his rare pistol that only had six in all like it, but what he said caught her off guard completely.

"You could beat that sunset any day." Reaver explained, turning back to her.

Sparrow gazed at him, her eyes betraying her pleasant surprise and wonder. It seemed he would never cease to surprise her with small compliments like that. Before she could remind herself he probably had a whole book he'd written and filled with pick up lines, he was leaning in towards her. Spellbound, she couldn't find the will to pull back or look away from Reaver's grey eyes that were speckled with luminous flecks of emerald green. She felt like she could lose herself within those unique orbs that served as the window to his soul. They returned her mesmerized gaze with equal wonder.

As Reaver's lips brushed against hers, she felt his hand lay upon her cheek, not unlike the way he had touched her after sleeping in the health replenishing bed. At first the kiss was one of simple pleasure from their lips finally finding one another. Gentle and tender, like calm waters stroking the shore before ebbing back into the depths. But the waves began to demand more, coming back to the shore with more powerful tosses from the tide. Sparrow found her arms wrapping around Reaver's waist as he deepened the kiss.

Reaver was thoroughly enjoying himself. He could barely believe Sparrow had accepted his advance, but he loved the feeling of her feminine arms around his waist. His free hand went to the small of her back, and he could feel her moist skin through her soaked adventurer's shirt. The hand he had on her cheek went higher to run his fingers through her hair, sleek and smooth to the touch. He didn't know how he'd restrained himself from this kind of passion for so long, but it was worth every minute of waiting.

Finally Sparrow pulled her lips away, gasping slightly for air. Reaver kissed her neck as she breathed, her head titled upwards. She opened her eyes and looked up as the sky darkened and sunset came towards it end. The faintest traces of stars were glimmering in the oncoming night. She couldn't remember how it had come to this silent exchange of passion and tenderness. Her hands traveled up Reaver's back as he pressed closer to her body.

"Reaver…" She whispered in his ear.

"Yes?" He breathed on her neck in between kisses.

She lifted one hand to rest on his face and he lifted his head.

"It's getting dark, and chilly. We need to make a fire…" She said.

He smiled, "I'd say we're doing a pretty good job so far."

He leaned in and kissed her lips again, and she ended it quicker than the last time, but smiling.

"A campfire. That's one of the rules of adventuring. Never have a camp in the woods without a fire when it gets dark…"

Reaver sighed into her neck, but he could hear her female intuition talking. Reluctantly, he pulled himself away from her body, but he took her hand in his as they began wading back towards the shore. Their bodies were shivering in the night breeze by the time they stepped onto terra firma. Sparrow retrieved her pistol from the sand and Reaver followed suit, releasing her hand hesitantly.

"You go gather some wood…" Sparrow said, "I think this is a good campsite. Water nearby, which will also draw in animals for food."

"Sounds good to me." Reaver acquiesced, stroking her cheek before disappearing into the woods.

Sparrow slumped down, her head spinning from the close contact. She had not been expecting such an exchange to occur at all. She had to admit she'd felt the growing attraction ever since Reaver had touched her cheek nearly a week ago, but had dismissed it for a need for companionship, not at all a matter of longing or even worse, lust. She had enjoyed the last few minutes more than she would have expected herself to enjoy kissing a pirate like Reaver. But that was just it…he wasn't just a pirate anymore. Not at all the same pirate that had almost traded her to Lucien for who knew what.

She heard a rustling sound and Reaver reappeared with an armful of twigs and sticks. He piled them into an organized mass on the sand and stepped back. Sparrow summoned her Will and from her fingertips set the twigs to burning in a blaze. Within a few moments Reaver was sitting beside her, his hands already tracing patterns along her arms and legs as he breathed into her hair. She smiled despite herself but gently pushed him away. She turned and he looked nearly heartbroken.

"Take it easy, pirate." She said teasingly.

His eyes seemed to shine with his desires, and she felt like she could read him like an open book. She knew exactly what he wanted. But it all seemed a little too fast to her.

Reaver saw the slightly frightened glimmer in her eyes, and guessed he'd gotten a little carried away. Now that he'd gotten a rise out of her though, he felt like he could barely keep his hands to himself. Sighing, he told himself to be content with what he'd received.

As the night wore on, Sparrow got drowsy, and eventually laid down and closed her eyes in the firelight. Reaver settled himself close to her, draping his arm around her waistline. Sparrow welcomed the contact, but sleep overwhelmed her senses, and she was soundlessly slumbering not long after.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: The support this story has been receiving from everyone is better than I imagined it would be, so thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing. I'm going to have to WARN people though; this chapter will be an M-rated chapter. Read at your own discretion, and please don't be mad at me because I'm warning everyone right now. If you like this sort of fluff, then dig in. The M stuff starts shortly after the only break.**

**/--/-/-/-/-/-/--/**

The sound of crashing waves against the shore caused Sparrow to open her eyes and remember where she was and what she was doing. At first her memory was fuzzy, and then everything came back to her and she smiled at her thoughts. The warmth around her waist shifted and she turned her head to see Reaver waking up as well. She rolled onto her back, the movement causing Reaver to mumble groggily at being awoken. She gently caressed his cheek, and then his grey eyes flickered open, blinking slowly in the sunlight.

"Sleep well?" Sparrow asked quietly.

"Best sleep of my life." Reaver replied.

"Best sleep of your life _so far._" Sparrow corrected, starting to sit up.

Reaver grumbled and she felt his arm press against her waist to keep her down. Smiling despite herself, she lifted it and stood up, shaking the sand out of her hair and brushing it off her clothes. A little less enthusiastically, Reaver got to his feet as well.

Sparrow started towards the fire, or what was left of it, and felt Reaver grasp her arm.

"Come back here." He said deeply.

He pulled her in, smiling as she willingly let herself take the few steps back to him. Without warning, he kissed her with a fire no man should be able to possess after just waking up. Sparrow returned the kiss and then moved away.

"Come on, Reaver, you can't just kiss me all day." Sparrow insisted.

"Oh yes I can." Reaver retorted.

"But we have to keep going, find food…" Sparrow trailed off.

"I say we're deserted enough. We haven't seen anyone in a couple days, and as for food, just _wait _and something or another will show up to get a drink. Now get back over here." He gripped her more firmly and pulled her back in, grinning the whole time.

Sparrow smirked at him. "Tired of walking?"

"I'm a bit too distracted to think about traveling any longer…" Reaver replied, leaning into her longingly.

Sparrow sighed. "And what would happen to you if I simply refused your kisses?"

Reaver grinned. "You can't resist, dear."

As if to prove his point, he pressed his lips upon hers again, and Sparrow found herself returning the kiss with more passion than she could control. Reaver pulled his head away, smirking. Sparrow glowered at him, her eyes twinkling.

"If I really wanted to, I could resist." She declared.

Reaver smiled hopelessly at her. "Stubborn woman."

Sparrow felt her stomach grumble. "I really do need some food."

Reaver sighed and let his arms drop to his sides. "You just wait right here, and I will find you something."

A moment later he was striding purposefully across the shore, and heading into the forest. Sparrow tried to clear her mind, but she felt like she was in such a daze with all her raw emotions. She'd never experienced the feelings stirring within her before. Reaver was the least likely person she would have guessed she'd ever feel attraction towards. And yet, here she was wishing he were still holding her. Absently, she headed towards the burned pile of wood and examined it.

She walked into the forest and gathered up a new load of sticks and twigs to throw onto the pile. When she figured she'd gathered enough she reappeared at the campsite and dumped her armload upon the smoldering stack. Focusing slightly, she released some flames to get the fire going again. The smoldering embers burst into life and began consuming the new fuel she'd provided. Sparrow retrieved two long pointed sticks to serve as skewers and set them down a safe distance from the fire. Sighing contently, she unsheathed her sword and sat down to polish it.

/-/-/-/

Reaver stepped quietly over a large fallen branch, his eyes locked on his prey. The small deer hadn't heard him coming, and was grazing unaware just ahead of him. Without warning, Sparrow's image flashed across his vision, and he had to stop and clear his thoughts. He waited before he'd collected himself again and then held his pistol out in front of him, aiming at the deer's skull. He silently adjusted his aim for wind and distance, and then pulled the trigger. An ear splitting crack followed instantly.

Reaver waited for the small cloud of smoke to dissolve and then scanned the result. He hadn't missed his target. Victoriously holstering his pistol, he walked towards the lifeless body and knelt. A clean impact had served to kill the deer instantaneously and without any pain. Reaver nodded to himself, approving of his work. He hoisted the deer upwards and laid the corpse on his shoulders to bear the weight, and then, with a grin that he couldn't conceal, headed back to where he knew Sparrow was waiting.

The smell of fresh smoke let him know he was close just before he broke through the trees onto the shore. Sparrow was just sheathing her sword as he came up behind her. He let the deer fall to the ground in front of the fire and pulled out his dagger, ready to get to work.

The two skinned the deer, cut it into strips, and then buried the excess venison nearby to keep it from spoiling. They used the skewers to impale the strips of venison and then laid them over the flames to cook. When all the dirty work was finished, they went to the water and washed their hands clean of the blood and skin. By the time the meal was finally cooked and prepared, they'd spent the better half of the day.

The venison tasted satisfying and healthy to Sparrow, so she decided all the hard work was well worth it. She hadn't eaten a proper meal since leaving the Tower, and so she ate her fair share of the pile of strips they'd roasted. Reaver consumed more, though, and they ended up devouring the entire stash of the cooked venison. Satiated at last, Sparrow lay on her back and enjoyed the feeling.

She was dozing peacefully when something blocked the sunlight over her eyelids. She opened her eyes and looked into Reaver's as he hovered over her, one arm on each side of her, but his body propped up beside hers. He smiled down at her, and stroked her cheek with his fingers from one hand. Whenever his touch neared her eyes, she would blink slowly in response, and he would smile again. She raised her own hand to cup his face in her palm, feeling the grizzly unshaved hairs he was sporting. Mesmerizing to her fingers.

Reaver's fingers traced along the smooth skin of her face, transfixed by the texture and warmth of it. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. The scent of her hair wafted up to his nostrils, capturing his thoughts completely as she gazed up at him. The coolness of her hand against his face soothed him in every way possible. There could be nothing better than this. Except…He smiled to himself, and experimentally let his fingers trace across Sparrow's pale lips. They parted slightly in response and he bent over lower. When she opened her eyes again he could see the raw carnal desire, and he took it as a sign to continue.

He kissed her deeply, savoring the sensation of her lips moving with his, and longing for more. Sparrow's hands moved down to his chest, feeling the leather that separated his flesh from her. With an expertise she wasn't sure where she'd inherited from, she undid the large buckle going across his upper body that held on his half cape. It slid off of him with a dull thud against the sand, encouragingly. The rest was easy. She undid the small buttons that held on the leather one by one until it flapped loosely, revealing his chest to her at last. Her hands explored his skin thoroughly, never before having touched him. His muscles were toned and in top condition. Breaking away from the kiss, Reaver smiled at her progress. He shrugged his shoulders out of the leather and tossed it away carelessly as her hands reached around to caress his back, appreciating the muscles there as well. _My turn. _Reaver thought dangerously as he let his hands slip downwards from her face. He felt her tense up immediately.

"Relax…" he murmured, lowering his lips to her ear.

Sparrow loosened up slightly, but he knew she was nervous. His hands slowly pulled at the rim of her shirt, practiced in the art, and he lifted it up and over her head. Before he gazed downward his eyes locked with Sparrow's, and he smiled encouragingly. He let his eyes drop to her nude upper chest and took in her breasts hungrily.

"Look what you've been hiding from me all this time…" He breathed.

Sparrow lifted her head and pulled his towards her with her hand resting on the back of his neck to kiss him again. Reaver's hands greedily explored her, absorbing every patch of her skin he could. He felt her hands all over him, driving him wild every time she touched her fingertips to his skin. He decided she must have magic fingers. Her hands eventually slipped lower, and he felt his belt being tugged at. _Feisty little minx…_He let one of his hands slip down and grasp hers, stopping it in the middle of tugging his belt loose.

"Reaver…" Sparrow pleaded quietly.

He grinned. "I'm first this time."

He released her hand and when she didn't continue in her attempt, he lowered his hand to the edge of her pants. With one hand still taking in her breasts, he carefully undid the button and pulled the zipper down. He tugged gently at her pants, and she arched her back to help. Successfully removing her pants, he threw them in the same direction his leather shirt had been tossed. He ran his hand up her leg and to her thigh, extracting a small moan from her. His eyes glanced up at her face and saw the look of pleasure, her eyes closed and her lips open as the sound came to an end. _Music to my ears…_

He removed her undergarments in the same manner as her pants and then she was completely unclothed beneath him. Raising his head to take in the sight completely, he tried to make a mental memory of her perfectly sculpted body. He didn't have long before he felt Sparrow's relentless hands back at his belt. He didn't try to stop her this time; she'd waited patiently for her turn. She pulled his belt free from his leather chaps, and threw it aside. _We're going to have a fun time trying to find all our clothes. _Reaver thought as Sparrow undid his chaps and pulled them down. He finished for her, pulling the chaps off each of his legs in turn and then turning his head to see his leather shirt, tossed his chaps towards them.

They were both nude when he turned his eyes back on her own. He slowly lifted his body off of the sand and positioned himself over her. Her legs parted and he gave her one more assuring gaze.

"You've done this before?" He asked throatily.

"It's been a while…" Sparrow replied, remembering that she hadn't had any male contact for over ten years from being in the Spire. The commandant had approached her once, out of curiosity, and she'd slapped his face so hard that he had a red bruise to sport afterwards. She'd been punished mercilessly for her deed, but she'd accepted it gratefully.

Reaver nodded, his eyes glittering with anticipation. With one slow, deliberate motion, he submerged himself within her and then stopped. He looked up, studying her contorted face intensely. She'd thrown her head back and her lips had parted wide, her eyes squinted tight. He could only imagine the pain that women had to go through for their pleasure to follow. He let his hand stroke her chest bone, trying to soothe her as she adjusted. Within a few moments her face's muscles had relaxed a little, and she brought her head back up. She laid her hand over Reaver's. Feeling like he'd waited long enough, he began the cycle of thrusting softly. With each thrust, he kept his eyes locked on her face, waiting for her pained expression to change. She gradually looked more and more comfortable, and he thrust harder as she did. Sparrow began to arch her back to meet his every move, intensifying the feeling. She moaned, driving him to his limits. He reached the point where he lost control of himself, thrusting with all his might with a primal instinct urging him on. Thankfully, Sparrow seemed to be enjoying his burst of energy as much as he. He felt her hands on his back, pulling him closer. With a final mighty thrust, he felt Sparrow tighten up and he released, both coming to the apex of their pleasure. Reaver growled a rumbling moan and Sparrow threw her head back, letting her own moan sound with his. Finally, Reaver collapsed beside her, panting in a most satisfied fashion. Beside him he saw Sparrow's head still thrown back, a look of pure ecstasy having taken over her features. Her toes curled, and her body writhed momentarily. He drank in the sight as her orgasm slowly passed.

Her body sank into the sand, worn out, and she finally relaxed. Her eyes came open as she panted to catch her breath, and then turned to face Reaver.

"What a treasure you've proven to be." He whispered to her.

Smiling, she rolled over towards him and rested her arm across his chest. They lay in the sand, basking in the afterglow as the diminishing sunlight warmed them.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for bearing with me. If you didn't read the last chapter, you didn't really miss anything plot-wise except for a total connection between our two characters. Other than that you missed nothing that should leave you confused. Thanks!**

**/--/-/-/-/-/-/--/**

Reaver woke to the moonlight peeking through the tree limbs overhead. His heart felt like it was trying to break through his chest cavity with it's furious pounding, and his breath came in uneven bursts. He could only stare upwards as he spasmed uncontrollably, writhing, as he couldn't erase what he'd seen. He couldn't make the images go away, he couldn't bear the pain he would cause. His lips parted as he tried to steal enough air for his lungs, gasping quietly, a small disturbance in the night.

He felt something cool on either side of his face, soothing and calming. He managed to rip his eyes away from the moon and looked sideways. Sparrow was knelt over him, looking concerned and troubled. He desperately raised one of his hands, trembling, up towards her, and she grasped it. He could hear her speaking, but it was like she was calling from miles away. The only thing he heard clearly were the angry, raspy voices. With a jolt he realized Sparrow was hurrying away, and his hands began to tremble more vigorously as his mind panicked.

A moment later he felt the water splash across his face, a shock to his senses. His shaking and spasming ended abruptly, and the voices dissipated in thin air. He felt her hands on his face once more, relief spreading through him as he took deep breaths of air. Slowly, Sparrow's voice became easier to hear.

"Reaver…?" She was saying.

He found the strength to sit up, and faced her, his eyes searching all over her face. He realized she hadn't seen what he had.

"Reaver."

He felt his head pulled in to her chest, and wrapped his arms around her, feeling safer with her touch.

He finally found his voice. "Sparrow…the dream."

Sparrow nodded. "It's okay."

Sparrow hated seeing him so vulnerable. It had certainly been shocking when she had woken up to hear him convulsing. She could feel him calming down, his pulse and breathing returning to normal. He eventually pulled himself free of her, and spoke.

"I don't know how long we have, but they were unspeakably angry…"

Sparrow held his gaze, listening intently. "Should we try to stop them before things get too out of control?"

"_Stop _them? Sparrow, there's no way to stop them…" He sounded hopeless, as if all of his former arrogance and confidence had been washed away by erosion.

"Don't give up." Sparrow said. "They are stoppable. We just have to…figure out what their weakness is."

Reaver nodded, looking downward, and Sparrow saw how lost he looked. Her heart ached as she pulled him down to sleep again. She let her hand stroke his chest, hoping to soothe him into sleep's embrace. Slowly, her eyes closed and she spent the rest of the night in a light slumber, flinching at every sound.

When she woke up in the morning, she was alone. Yawning, she got to her feet and retrieved her clothes. They weren't too scattered about, luckily. When she was fully dressed again she walked to the fire, where two strips of meat had been laid out for her. She ate them hungrily, and by the time she finished felt the energy radiating throughout her body. She went to the lake and drank her fill, and then she wondered where Reaver was. She vaguely remembered him leaving her sometime after she had fallen asleep again, but couldn't remember how long ago that had been. She had noticed all of his things had been picked up. But where he could have gone, she had no idea. She scanned up and down the shoreline, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Sighing frustrated, she decided the best thing to do was to stay where she was and wait.

Sometime later, when Sparrow was sitting by the fire, her fingers drawing patterns in the sand out of boredom, she heard him approaching. She looked up and he came out of the forest, fully dressed and looking much more like himself.

"Where have you been?" Sparrow asked.

"I needed some time alone. I just took a long walk." Reaver replied, sitting down.

Sparrow nodded, but wasn't really satisfied. She could understand needing some time, but he'd been gone since sometime in the night until now, the afternoon.

"I apologize for just walking off, but I'm used to…being able to wander around without someone worrying about me." Reaver said when he saw the look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Sparrow finally asked.

Reaver smiled. "A lot better."

Sparrow smiled in return, but still felt a nagging worry for him. She had never gambled with him before, but something told her he probably had a pretty deceiving poker face.

"What do you think we should do?" Sparrow moved on. "We can stay here like we originally planned and let them find us, or we can go to the Shadow Court and face them one on one, see if they're really as tough as they want us to think they are."

Reaver seemed to weigh the options carefully before answering. "I suppose I don't see the point in waiting like foxes in their holes while the dogs are baying just at the entrance. Maybe if we fight back, it will surprise the dogs a bit and give us an advantage. Those Judges think me a coward, they won't expect a confrontation."

Sparrow smiled. She was tired of staying in one spot, personally, and was ready to head somewhere else, not remain stationary. She thought Reaver's analogy of their situation was pretty accurate as well, and couldn't agree more with his reasoning.

"I'm ready when you are." She replied.

Reaver nodded and the two stood and doused the fire. Sparrow used her force push spell to erase all their tracks in the sand, and Reaver threw the unused sticks and twigs back into the forest. Then they dug up their reserves of venison and, because neither of them had anything to store it in, ate as much more of it as they could and tossed the rest into the forest for a roaming beast. Finally they were ready to head out. They decided to go west, and hopefully they'd run into a path headed to the Bandit Camp. Neither had any opposition for visiting the Bandits. It would be entertaining to let off some steam, and it would also please the local villages.

"So," Sparrow asked as they worked their way through the forest, "how many women have you swept off their feet?"

Reaver glanced at wondrously. "Are you sure you want to go there? I've been here over two hundred years, just a reminder."

Sparrow grinned. "I know, I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat…" Reaver further warned.

Sparrow just shook her head, waiting.

"Well, honestly I lost count back at thirty nine, I think. Maybe it was forty. And that was about fifty years ago."

Sparrow looked at him, slightly disgusted. "Is it _that _boring to be a pirate?"

Reaver laughed. "Quite the opposite."

Sparrow smirked. "And how many women have swept _you_ off _your_ feet?"

"That one is a little harder." Reaver replied, looking deep in thought. "I do believe that would be two."

"Just two?" Sparrow asked, relieved.

"Ah, yes. There was this fiery and exotic woman I found on a faraway island, still unknown to Albion, that I couldn't get enough of. I don't think she really liked _me_ though, just my bed." He chuckled to himself.

Sparrow took the hint.

"And the other one, well, she was an unexpected adventurer barging through my doors and demanding me to help her save the world or some what not." Reaver smirked at her.

Sparrow smiled, but shoved his shoulder warningly.

He continued though, "Yes, at first I quite put off by her. She seemed to not even care that I was in the middle of getting my sculpture made. I almost got rid of her, but she was just so _selfless _and _noble_. I decided it would be a waste."

"Okay, that's enough." Sparrow laughed.

Reaver put his arm around her shoulder, smiling. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, how many men have been entranced by you?" Reaver questioned.

Sparrow shrugged. "I honestly don't know for sure…I can think of three straight off the bat, but you don't know how many crazed villagers I've run into."

"Who were those three you mentioned?" Reaver persisted.

"Well, one was the first villager I ever met that was crazed over me. I probably led him on a bit too much in the end."

"Is the one who taught you all you know?" Reaver interrupted.

Sparrow heard the hidden meaning of his question and smiled. "Yes, that would be him."

Reaver nodded, as if expecting the answer.

"The second one that stands out in my mind is the commandant in the Spire."

"One of Lucien's men?" Reaver seemed intrigued.

"One of the meanest. I paid dearly for refusing his attempts."

"So you didn't toy with him?" Reaver asked, disappointed.

"Of course not. For all I know he was one of those scary perverts. Likely he just wanted a little late night action and then would've tortured me to death."

"Oh alright." Reaver agreed. "And how many men have you been entranced by?"

"Just one." Sparrow replied, smiling.

"I was right then."

"About what?"

"You _were_ incredibly lonely, were you not?" Reaver asked.

When she thought about, Sparrow had to admit that she'd been living a pretty lonely life. She nodded quietly, thinking of all the times when she could have used someone to help her to her feet, to comfort her, to give her encouragement.

"How old are you?" Reaver suddenly asked.

"You can't ask me that, I'm a woman."

"No, seriously, Sparrow. You said you've been going after Lucien since you were eight…and Lucien has been around a long time."

Sparrow thought back. After Rose had died, she'd spent the next ten years in the care of Theresa. She'd most likely spent a year finding Hammer, doing miscellaneous tasks, and winning the Crucible. After that she'd spent ten more years in the Spire before coming home and searching out Reaver to finally finish the journey.

"I haven't ever really thought about it, but I do believe I am a little bit older than thirty." Sparrow replied.

"You sure don't look like a thirty year old. And I mean even before you went to the Shadow Court." Reaver commented.

"And how old are you?" Sparrow asked.

"About 227 years." Reaver replied.

"Do you really think you'll last forever?"

"I haven't ailed at all so far." Reaver shrugged.

Sparrow nodded, thinking about all the years ahead she had to live.

For the rest of that day, they traveled far, but had to stop their rapid pace when it got dark out. They made a small camp, the fire burning just enough to provide them light. They didn't want to attract any unwanted attention from whatever might be out in the elements. The feeling of being cautious was familiar to Sparrow, and she fell into it out of routine. She'd been cautious her whole life.

Across from her, Reaver removed his shirt, feeling hot from all the walking. Sparrow watched him closely, at first seeking for signs that another dream might trouble him in his sleep, but when he seemed perfectly at ease, she simply became entranced. Without him noticing, she let her own clothes fall off and stalked closer. He had just laid down when she crawled up over him. His eyes opened, and she caught the playful glint. She kissed him slowly, and before she could do anything he rolled and had her beneath him. She smiled at him and he deepened the kiss. _He shouldn't have trouble sleeping tonight, _Sparrow thought.

/-/-/-/

The next few days were made up of traveling at a slower pace, intended to preserve more energy. During the day they found random topics to talk about, enjoying each other's company and presence. When night fell they made a small fire, and one or the other initiated the long kisses and bursts of passion. The routine seemed like it would never get old.

Sparrow didn't expect a disturbance at all when it came. They had been walking most of the morning when Reaver had hushed her. She stopped and listened to the wind blowing. The breeze was coming towards them, bringing with it the scents from behind. She didn't have an expert sense of smell, but she could tell there was a bit of a foreign scent coming their way. Her ears could detect the sound of rustling grass, the slight crunch of leaves.

"Something's coming." Reaver whispered under his breath.

He pulled his pistol out of its holster and held it pointed up, and Sparrow gathered her Will to use at her disposal. They waited as the sound gradually got closer, seeming to not care if they heard it coming or not. As it came nearer and nearer, Sparrow could sense the Will it was bringing. Just before it happened, she sensed that it would. In a sudden flash of leaves and air, she felt the person use time control to jump forward. Before her eyes could focus, she heard a shot and knew Reaver had pulled the trigger.

"That wasn't very nice." Came a familiar voice.

"_Garth_?" Sparrow asked.

The person in front of her was indeed Garth. He had been looking at Reaver before she spoke, holding something in his palm. She realized it was the bullet, crumpled in his hand.

Reaver put his pistol up. "Sorry, but you can't just go sneaking up on us like that."

"Garth, what are you doing here? I thought you were going off to experiment and find new oddities…" Sparrow asked, awed.

"I was. And I was doing quite well until I sensed trouble brewing here. My first instinct was that if anyone would know what the trouble is about, it would be one of you two." Garth explained.

"How long have you been tracking us?" Reaver asked, ignoring Garth's obvious question.

"For a while actually. I found your old campsite by the lake a couple days back. It wasn't hard to find…your scents were all over the place. Must have stayed there longer than just a night. I was surprised you two were still putting up with each other, personally."

Sparrow shot Reaver a glance, hoping Garth didn't notice.

"So, what is the trouble?" Garth asked before Reaver could distract him again.

Garth was looking at Sparrow, expecting the answer from her, but he turned his head when Reaver spoke.

"The Shadow Court is going to start wreaking havoc upon Albion. They have grown tired of the bargain I made with them, and they are currently searching me out."

"So what are you doing?"

"I am going to confront them. Hopefully stop them before things get too out of control." Reaver replied calmly.

Garth looked back at Sparrow, "And you're going to _help_ him?"

Sparrow nodded. "He can't do it alone. Besides, I don't want the Shadow Court loose. When they're done with him, they'd just keep doing whatever they please with Albion. He did help us, anyways."

Garth nodded. "Well, I can see right now that you two are going to need more assistance than just the two of you."

Sparrow smiled gratefully as Reaver grimaced. It was going to be an interesting quest.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This will probably be my last update for a while. Sorry to everyone who looks forward to the daily new chapter, but I can't continue when school starts back, which happens tomorrow. So bear with me until the next chapter comes. **

**/--/-/-/-/-/--/**

That night the three of them made a campfire, all sitting around it as the flames flickered, consuming the wood they'd gathered. As the flames got lower, the fire seemed to get even more mesmerizing. Things were pretty quiet.

"Looks like we're getting low on tinder." Garth stated, shattering the silence.

"I'll go get some." Reaver declared, getting to his feet and tromping off.

Sparrow watched him go and then returned her gaze to the fire, pondering.

"So…" Garth said.

Sparrow looked up, "What?"

"You and Reaver?"

Sparrow was momentarily stunned. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Garth chuckled at her, feeling confirmed immediately. "Truthfully, that was just a wild statement. I was just throwing something out there for you."

Sparrow flushed, embarrassed and mad at the same time.

"And yes, it _is_ that obvious, now that I think about it." Garth insisted, as if reading her thoughts.

Sparrow picked up a spare twig and tossed it at him. He easily hit the twig away as it neared him, but the amused smile never left his face.

"Oh, relax Sparrow. It's not a crime. Although I can't say I _understand_ it." Garth grinned.

"He's not as bad as you think." Sparrow mumbled.

Garth shook his head, "I know that. But I was pretty sure he was as bad as _you _thought."

"Well, I thought wrong." Sparrow retorted, her annoyance flaring.

"Don't be so sure. For all you know, he's playing you like a card to win the round."

"If I thought he was doing that, I wouldn't have let it go anywhere." Sparrow replied evenly.

"You emotions might beg to differ." Garth quietly challenged, eyeing her reaction.

Sparrow glared up at him, but the sound of approaching footfalls silenced both of them. Reaver returned to find them exactly how he'd left them, quiet and staring at the flames. He piled up the new tinder wood beside the slowly dying fire and rekindled it with fresh wood. When he was finished he sat back down, glanced at both them, and finding neither one interested in talking, sighed.

Garth looked over at him. "On a scale of one to ten, where would put the Shadow Court. Ten being the hardest of course."

"Probably a six or seven. I'd have put Lucien at 9, if that helps give a scale at all." Reaver replied.

Garth nodded, looking deep in thought. "Then this shouldn't be another challenge that takes about a lifetime to complete, hopefully."

"Hopefully not, but that's why I think we should meet them head on, nip them in the bud before they get strong enough to last that long."

The conversation died, leaving silence yet again. Eventually Garth declared it time to go to bed, and went a few paces away and laid down. Sparrow and Reaver gave each other a knowing glance, but both lay down where they were, trying to go to sleep without the other's touch.

/-/-/-/

The worst part about having three in the group was deciding where the majority of them should be. With three, one of them or two of them could scout ahead. At night one or two of them could find wood and food. The problem developed subtly. Garth took to not letting Reaver be paired with Sparrow, having decided to disapprove of their intimate relations. Reaver decided to never let Garth be alone with Sparrow, fearing what he might say to her. Sparrow did anything she could to leave the two of them alone to forget their arguing and actually hear herself think. The days seemed to drag on and on, until finally they found a path. It was hopefully the path that would have led from the Tower to the Bandit Camp, and so they began following it, heading west. At night they would leave the path and make a camp a safe distance away from it. One day Garth declared that he had to scout ahead, and alone. He didn't seem to like that he'd be going alone, but nevertheless he disappeared down the path before them.

Reaver waited till he was a safe distance ahead before speaking. "The nerve of that twit."

"It could be worse. We could have no help whatsoever and be facing the Shadow Court by ourselves." Sparrow reminded him.

"At least we'd be able to spend time together like we did before he showed up." Reaver objected.

"We'll just have to save our personal feelings for after the world's been saved…like always." Sparrow sighed. "At least we'll never run out of time."

Reaver glanced at her, but said nothing.

Sparrow didn't notice. "We should be coming up on the Bandits sooner or later…we've been walking for weeks now."

"It will feel nice to let off some steam." Reaver agreed.

He smiled and put his hand around Sparrow's waist, enjoying himself.

"Better watch out for the intimate contact cop." Sparrow grinned.

Reaver sighed. "He's gone for the moment, which means we can actually enjoy ourselves."

Sparrow nodded, content.

Not much later Garth reappeared ahead, coming back. Reaver instantly let his hand drop to his side as the other man came closer. Garth stopped in front of them, eyeing Reaver as if he were a suspect.

"There are a few bandits ahead. They have a wizard with them, so focus on him first and then take out the rest."

"You don't have to tell us how to fight our fights." Reaver said, annoyed.

"It was just an advisement." Garth replied, maintaining a calm tone.

"I'm just glad we actually get to have some entertainment." Sparrow declared, trying to end the beginnings of another squabble.

The other two nodded.

Reaver pulled out his pistol, checking to see if he needed to reload it, and Sparrow and Garth gathered Will in preparation for the bandits to appear. It took longer than Sparrow anticipated, and she guessed Garth must be a fast runner. About half an hour later they heard the first of the voices of the bandits. Smiling, Sparrow readied herself. Just before the first of them came into view, the trio ducked into the forest, out of sight.

One by one the bandits appeared, apparently out on a patrolling raid. They kept coming down the path, until Sparrow counted sixteen heads. She decided they must be headed somewhere more populated if they needed that many in the group. As they bandits came within range, they seemed to slow, as if realizing they were being watched. Sparrow looked across the path and saw Reaver waiting to jump out on the other side. Garth was not far from him. She waited until the bandits were close to the spot where they would see her if they peered into the forest.

As soon as one of them seemed interested in the peek hole, she let loose a torrent of scorching flames, scalding his face permanently. She leapt forth and caught in her peripheral vision Reaver and Garth following suit. She finished the burned bandit and then sifted through the rest until she located the wizard. He was at the back, already casting spells to summon creatures to assist them. Before he saw her, she shot an electrical current at him, knocking him backwards and ending the incantation he'd been muttering. She continued to bombard him with different spells, trying to keep him from getting a chance to cast any of his own.

Garth took over attacking the wizard just as a bandit rammed into Sparrow from behind. She wheeled around, unsheathing her sword and swiping at the man as he tried to regain his balance. He parried her weakly, and with two more slashes she overpowered him and he fell at her feet. As she looked up she saw that Reaver had backed up a bit from the main mass and was shooting from a good distance. She turned back to the rest of the bandits. Garth was still casting at the wizard, but there were about nine bandits left, all circling around him. She cast Raise Dead and the ghostly figures that sprang up around her eagerly took off towards the bandits. She returned to her Inferno spell and resumed attack on the wizard.

With the bandits distracted, the wizard didn't last long under both Garth's and Sparrow's attacks. After a few minutes of desperate and feeble defense spells, the wizard sank down, defeated.

Reaver had taken out four of the nine bandits while Sparrow and Garth had been focused on the wizard. The five remaining bandits split up against them, three heading for Sparrow and two for Garth. Sparrow cast a ring of fire, sizzling the three just as they got close to her. She finished them off with her blade. Garth took care of his two attackers just as easily. He left one of them alive, lying on his back and breathing in rasps. Garth knelt beside the bandit as Sparrow and Reaver came closer.

"Where were you headed?"

The bandit didn't reply.

Garth held out his blade to the man's neck. "Answer me and you'll die painlessly."

The bandit's eyes went from Garth to Sparrow and Reaver and then back to Garth. It wasn't hard to see the fear in him. Sparrow almost pitied him, but reminded herself he had joined the bandits willingly, knowing what would come of it.

"Bowerstone Lake…" The bandit cackled.

Garth frowned. "Why?"

"Some dark wizard is recruiting us outlaws to aid him."

"What dark wizard?"

"I don't think he's human, but he looks it."

"Why is he recruiting?" Reaver interjected.

The bandit's eyes went to him, and widened. "You, you're the one he was talking about…"

Sparrow glanced back at Reaver.

Before Garth could ask anything else the bandit's strength ran out, and his chest fell one last time, never rising again. Garth stood and sheathed his sword.

"Is there something you want to share with us, Reaver?" Garth turned, giving the other man an accusing glare.

"I have no idea what that bandit was talking about." Reaver replied, looking very much insulted.

"So you don't know anything about a dark wizard that apparently wants your life? You'd think one would know when a dark wizard was after him. You must have done something." Garth furthered his point.

Reaver returned the glare, equally fired. "If I knew why that wizard was after me, or even who he was, I'd gladly tell you. As far as I know, I have many enemies, and they all hate me for different things. Who knows what this one is upset about."

"Maybe we should just keep going to the Bandit Camp…" Sparrow said.

The two men looked at her, silent, but questioning.

"Well, if _that _bandit knew about the dark wizard, imagine what the leader of the Bandit Camp will know." She explained.

"Sparrow's got a good point there." Reaver agreed, looking back at Garth.

The dark man returned the gaze, looking back and forth between them. "Alright, lets keep going. If we learn anything new, then maybe we'll figure out who this dark wizard is."

The three turned to continue up the path, traveling in a loaded silence. Night fell, and they followed their usual routine, building a smaller fire than usual off of the road. When it was time to gather wood, Reaver willingly dismissed himself, needing to be away from Garth. As soon as he was gone, Garth gave Sparrow a look that she couldn't look away from.

"He'd hiding something."

Sparrow sighed. "There's no proof of that."

"Oh come one, Sparrow, how could he _not _know that a dark wizard was rallying forces against him?" Garth challenged.

"The same way we didn't know what Lucien was planning until too late."

"But this is Reaver we're talking about. He's a bloody pirate, and not a mediocre one at that. He's done so much lying and murdering and deceiving to get to be mayor of that forsaken mud hole we call Bloodstone, it's just inconceivable. Do you really think he wouldn't know about his enemies' whereabouts and up-to's?"

"Maybe this isn't one of his old enemies. What if it has something to do with the Shadow Court?" Sparrow suggested.

"It's possible…but it's much more possible that Reaver has two different things going on here. You should have been done with him as soon as our quest was over." Garth's stare was hard.

"He isn't the same person you remember." Sparrow finally said.

"And you think you changed him?"

"I think he wanted to change, and I was the only one who would help him." Sparrow stated.

"How could he change?" Garth asked wondrously.

"The way you never even give him a chance, I don't see how he could have accomplished it, but he did."

Garth shook his head slowly.

"Garth, you've done nothing but suspect him and treat him like a criminal since you came back." Sparrow said.

"Well, he _is _a criminal. I don't see how he's avoided the law all these years." Garth replied sarcastically.

"That's not the point."

Garth sighed. "Alright…we'll see what happens after we get done with the Bandit Camp. If I still think he's hiding something though, I'm not going to stop trying to pull it out of him."

Sparrow nodded, not caring.

The two of them fell asleep before Reaver returned. He had needed more time to himself than he'd thought. When he came back and found them both asleep, he took the liberty of lying closer to Sparrow than Garth would've allowed had he been awake. The next day would bring the Bandit Camp, and the days afterwards, even worse things to deal with. They all needed their sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Finally, a new chapter! I know how long I've made everyone wait, and I'm sorry. School really is a killer out to get time, you know? Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this treat!**

**/--/-/-/-/-/-/--/**

"Sparrow?"

Sparrow grumbled but rolled over on her side and opened her eyes. Reaver was beside her, peering at her anxiously.

"Reaver?"

He sighed. "Good, you're awake." He stood up.

Confused, Sparrow got to her feet as well and noticed it was still very dark out, and that the fire hadn't died down. It couldn't be more than a couple hours since she had fallen asleep.

"What's wrong?"

Reaver took her hand and led her out of the small clearing, going quietly so as not to wake up the sleeping Garth. Sparrow felt his skin, a bit clammy, as if he was nervous about something. The flames from the fire faded away in the distance as they got farther and farther into the surrounding forest. Reaver finally stopped and turned to her after some time, still grasping her hand in his.

"I heard what Garth was saying, earlier." He stated quietly.

Sparrow recalled that Garth believed Reaver was hiding something, and that he certainly didn't trust the pirate.

"I heard what you said, too…" Reaver continued.

Sparrow felt her cheeks warm slightly.

"I just wanted to thank you for your…trust."

Sparrow nodded and smiled. "But that's not all you brought me out here for, is it?"

Reaver shook his head. "No."

"You _are_ hiding something…aren't you?"

"Yes, but not from you. I was hiding it from Garth. I couldn't tell you because he was around." Reaver explained.

"Well…what is it? Do you actually know the dark wizard?"

"Not personally. I know he's been summoned from the Old Kingdom by the Shadow Court though, and that he's going to be about twice as difficult to deal with as Lucien."

"But…what's to hide in that?"

"…Nothing. That's not what I was hiding."

Sparrow gazed into his eyes expectantly, and saw the turmoil raging in them.

"The thing is…after we defeat the Shadow Court and all, well, we'll be happy for a time. But you're going to notice some changes in me. With the Shadow Court gone, I'll have no source for my…immortality."

Sparrow felt her own eyes widen slightly. Reaver would get older, at last. He would get weaker, catch sicknesses, and his body would lose its strength. He would die. And she would keep on being young and healthy, and living. She would be alone.

"So the question is…sacrifice all of Albion for our happiness, or defeat the Shadow Court at last and leave you all alone in the end." Reaver finished.

Sparrow finally felt all the pieces click. Whenever she'd spoken of having all the time in the world, or finally being happy when the Shadow Court were gone, Reaver had remained silent. He never expressed as much exuberance for the defeat of the Shadow Court as she had, and now that she knew why, could she blame him? She blinked slowly and felt the subtle sting of tears welling up. This had to be an even harder choice than she'd been dealt at the Spire.

"I can't choose…." She said quietly, trembling.

Reaver pulled her close and embraced her, trying to keep her from sinking down to the ground. "Why not?"

"Because…I love you more than Albion."

Reaver closed his eyes, internally rejoicing. He'd always dreamed of hearing her say something like that, but never under such circumstances. He so desperately wished she were crying tears of happiness, instead of dread.

"And I love you too…" He replied quietly, letting her weep silently into his shoulder.

/-/-/-/

"Well, the Bandit Camp isn't much further." Garth stated.

The sun was shining brightly overhead, the path continued on before them happily, and the forest seemed peaceful around them. The three had been walking all morning, and Garth had just returned from another scout ahead to report. Sparrow's sides ached silently from her crying, but she wasn't complaining. She knew her appearance betrayed none of her internal emotions, but she still felt like an open book. If her emotions weren't pouring out of her for everyone to see, she didn't want to know how bad she'd have to feel to make them. When Garth had left, Reaver had tried to consolidate her again, and she'd appreciated the effort. But it was so useless when all she could think about was how he'd be gone eventually and so would everyone else she knew.

"How many are there?" Reaver asked.

"Surprisingly, not many. I think most of them left in bands like we broke up yesterday to go to the dark wizard. The ones still there are simply guarding the camp."

"Well, was their leader there still?"

"I saw a flame burning from the chimney of the leader's cabin. He should be in there."

"Good."

The conversation ended, and they continued. The smell of smoke became more distinct as they neared the Bandit Camp, erasing all the clean and natural scents the forest had to offer. Sparrow mentally prepared herself for a battle, pushing away the depressing thoughts. She felt the Will spurn to life inside her, the flow getting stronger for her to bend to her use. The blue veins that glowed along her skin got slightly brighter, and in front her, she saw Garth's doing the same. Beside her came the click of Reaver's pistol as he loaded it and snapped it closed. The routine sounds calmed her mind, and she steadily felt her confidence rising. She could do this…she didn't have to think about anything to kill a bunch of bandits.

"And here we are…" Garth said as the large wooden gate came into view.

Like always, the bandits were all holed up inside their fenced in camp, which wasn't strategically a smart move since they never saw people like the three of them approaching. As they got closer to the gate, they heard to petty ramblings of the bandits on the other side, lazily talking and not watching like they were supposed to be doing. Sparrow caught enough of the conversation to tell that the speaker was fairly upset about not being selected to go see the dark wizard and having to stay and do the boring jobs. Before she could hear more, Garth released a powerful Inferno ball of fire that promptly engulfed the gate in flames.

The bandits' voices became understandably panicked at the apparent spontaneous combustion of their gate. Sparrow watched as the wooden frame was quickly devoured, causing the rest of the wood to fall down in ashes and revealing the inside of the Bandit Camp. Even though Garth had said there weren't many there, she hadn't expected there to be so few. There were probably only enough to fit one raiding group, not counting their leader, who hadn't appeared just yet. As the flames jumped from the falling gate to the surrounding fencing of the camp, Sparrow heard the first shot fired from Reaver's pistol, and knew the battle was on when one bandit that had been rushing past them fell lifeless on his face.

She targeted a bandit that had come to his wits and started charging at her with her Shock spell, letting the power build up until the bandit was a mere ten feet away before letting it loose. The bandit never stood a chance. Sparrow shifted her attention to the rest of the milling crowd, and let loose more spells. With the combination of her's and Garth's Will, and Reaver's excellent shot, the bandits were dropping like flies before them. It had to have been just as easy, if not easier, than taking out the raiding group the previous day. But still, the leader hadn't showed his face.

The last bandit fell to his knees and then fell face down. Sparrow surveyed the area and found no other panicked bandits running about. It had been a complete massacre for them.

"Let's go to the cabin…" Garth said in a focused manner.

Sparrow nodded and followed him through the center of the Bandit Camp and towards the defenseless cabin. The door was locked when Garth tried to turn the knob open. Without warning, Reaver jolted forward and let loose a trained kick that knocked the door in. Garth gave him a sarcastic glance before stepping over the door and entering the cabin. There were loose papers strewn over a worn out table, some on the floor. The fire in the chimney was almost dead from lack of tinder. The small bed wasn't made. But there was no leader.

"Gone." Garth stated.

Sparrow sighed and picked up one of the papers on the table. It was in a strange runic language. She handed it to Garth, who she figured had a better education in other languages. He studied it a few moments. "The Old Language…I do believe it's a journal page. But it's irrelevant. He must have torn out the pages he didn't need and left them here."

Sparrow nodded, disappointed. "What's it about?"

"Just how much he enjoys the spoils of raiding…they had just taken out a nobleman's carriage, apparently." Garth replied, putting the paper back on the table.

"What's this…?" Came Reaver's voice.

Sparrow turned and saw him crouched down, his hand had pulled back a corner of the matted rug on the floor. She couldn't see what he was talking about, so she walked over and crouched beside him. He pulled the rug further back and revealed the outline of trap door. A steel ring lay in the center, for pulling the door open.

"Of course you'd think of looking under a rug…" Garth stated as he came over.

"Hey, it's common practice among pirates to have multiple escape routes. I'm not surprised this guy had one, but I am surprised he used such a mundane method of hiding it…" Reaver replied.

"Well, he's just getting farther away while we're sitting here." Sparrow stated, her fingers reaching for the ring.

She pulled the door open and looked down. It was fairly dark, but there was some sort of light source down there. She guessed there were torches along the walls.

"I don't think it's an escape route per say." Reaver said as he peered down.

"No?"

"No. It appears to be a foxhole. He's just hiding down there. Better keep your wits about you." Reaver grinned and jumped down the hole.

Sparrow figured he knew what he was talking about, being an expert in this sort of thing. Garth shrugged at her, and she jumped down after the pirate. She bent her knees to soften her landing as her feet came into contact with the ground. She then straightened and moved away so Garth wouldn't land on her. Reaver was walking with his pistol held out ahead of her, and she hurried after him. She heard Garth's landing and then him following her as well. Her blue veins provided a small light source, so she could see faintly around her.

"What do you want…?"

She looked ahead and saw that Reaver had stopped and was pointing his pistol to the left. She came to his side and looked. The leader was staring at them, looking rather pitiable. He didn't seem like the sort you'd find leading a troop of bandits. But then again, most of them were cowards when they were outdone. It wasn't surprising that he looked so afraid.

"Don't try anything stupid." Reaver said.

The leader glanced between the three of them and decided Reaver was who he shoulder fear most. It was obvious that he recognized the pirate, just like the bandit the other day had.

"Why is the dark wizard recruiting you bandits?" Garth asked from behind.

"He wouldn't say why, other than that we should all be after that one." He pointed at Reaver.

"How many bandits have you sent to him?" Reaver's voice asked.

"Just about all of the ones I had that were any good. The one's you no doubt slaughtered up there were worthless to the wizard. But I wasn't the only one sending, mind you. There were other bandits who are gathering for him as well."

"What is he planning on doing with all of you?"

"I don't doubt he had a bigger plan, but right now it looks like he wants us to destroy all the towns we can, starting with the smaller ones of course." The leader replied, his voice shaking slightly.

Sparrow suddenly decided he was telling them all this information much too easily.

"What are you hiding?" She asked.

The leader's eyes shot over to her, looking startled, and confirming her suspicion. "Was that just a load of lies you just fed us?"

"No…no, of course not! I may be a bandit, but am no liar!" The leader declared, his voice rising.

"Those two sort of come hand in hand." Garth challenged.

Reaver stepped forward and shoved his pistol into the leader's neck. "Tell us where the dark wizard is…the truth. Not Bowerstone Lake like your pathetic bandit told us yesterday."

The leader trembled, but said nothing.

Sparrow summoned a small bit of fire and guided it to the leader, letting it scald his hands and evoking a cry of pain from him.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk!"

She let the spell drop.

"Wraithmarsh…the wizard is in Wraithmarsh. And he's planning on attacking Bloodstone first, then moving on to the rest of Albion."

Now that made more sense, Sparrow thought. Bloodstone would be where the Shadow Court would expect Reaver to be, and Wraithmarsh was where their realm was. Before the leader could start begging for his life, Sparrow looked away as the pistol went off.

"Well, this is an escape route after all…" Garth said.

"What do you mean? I see four walls around us, none with a tunnel." Reaver asked.

Sparrow followed Garth's line of sight and smiled. On one wall was a familiar looking insignia carved into the rock. Garth let loose the appropriate spell and loosed in on the insignia. Promptly, the rock began shifting and revealed a pathway, the escape route.

"Just needed a bit of willpower to find it." Garth explained, smiling. "Out little friend couldn't have used it for obvious reasons."

Reaver smirked at the other man, but they all headed into the tunnel. Sparrow had no doubt that it would lead them towards Wraithmarsh, if not brining them right to the Shadow Court realm. She looked from Reaver to Garth ahead of her, and wondered if Garth still thought Reaver was hiding something important. Her throat constricted slightly at the thought of what he had been keeping from her, but she couldn't blame him. It would have ruined their time together. She calmly came to the realization that she should be grateful for the time they still had. Even if she was going to lose him eventually, she didn't need to be depressed and sad about it until it actually happened, right? She needed to be strong for him, so that he wouldn't have to see her sad. Ignoring Garth's look of disapproval, she fell into step beside Reaver and grasped his hand.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for bearing with me. Quicker update than last time so be happy. :] **

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The tunnel was narrow, dark, and dank. As they moved through it, small droplets of water sounded as they hit the earth floor every few seconds in random order. The smell was the kind one only smelled when inside a cave or underground. The lighting was never great, but the torches continued to illuminate the way, though the came less often than towards the beginning of the tunnel. Every now and then a rat's eyes would glow at them from a shadow, and then disappear into the tunnel walls, or a bat would be suddenly startled out of sleep and flap above their heads before heading off ahead of them. For the most part though, they were all alone.

As they were underground, none of them knew when nightfall came, or when dawn approached. They rested when they grew weary, and when they all woke up they continued walking until they needed more sleep. There was no telling how far off they were from the real time though, for sometimes they walked longer and slept less, others they slept more and walked less. It was impossible to keep up an organized routine.

The other problem was the lack of food. They hadn't marched into the Bandit Camp with the intent of heading underground, and so they hadn't thought to bring any food supplies, or even water. Sparrow wasn't sure how long it had been since their last meal, but her stomach seemed to have been growling nonstop for a long while, and her throat was parched. The sound of the falling water droplets was torture, knowing that they were wasted, and every time a rat would scamper past was depressing. None of them really had much of an appetite for rat meat, but if Reaver could hit one then they would have gladly eaten it out of desperation.

Sparrow wasn't sure how much longer she could go on in this environment. She didn't even know if it would be better to turn

back or just keep going. All she knew was that the lack of nutrition, light, and water was having a bad effect on all of them. She was losing the will to keep chasing after whatever it was they were pursuing. Survival was the top priority now for her body. In the back of her mind she remembered a more important reason for the torture she was undergoing, but it seemed just out of reach.

Words were lost to them in the earthly silence. Sparrow felt so weak that speaking seemed not to be worth the effort. It wasn't like anyone had answers, after all. But…_maybe_ Reaver had one.

As they walked, she tapped him on the shoulder. He looked over at her, and she slowed her pace. He slowed as well, and luckily Garth didn't notice in his weariness. The other man continued walking, probably lost in his own thoughts.

"What is it?" Reaver asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"Can we die of starvation or exhaustion?" Sparrow whispered, not trusting her own voice.

Reaver sighed. "No. But it's still extremely painful, trust me on that. I've had to hide out for _long _periods of time before."

Sparrow nodded. That explained how Reaver had managed to seemingly disappear from his enemies in stories she'd heard. He could just hide in a hole and wait until they died or something before coming out.

They subtly quickened their pace and caught up with Garth before he noticed their slacking. Conversation was lost just as easily as it had been before. Sparrow suddenly felt worried for Garth, though. He wasn't immortal; he could still die if they kept on like this. How were they going to get him food or water? She then came to the further realization that Garth didn't even know she was immortal yet. What would he think if he started getting weaker and weaker, and she just stayed at the same level of weariness? Perhaps she would have to tell him before it got that bad. Hopefully it wouldn't get that bad though; hopefully they would come to the end of the tunnel soon.

The journey lasted only a little while longer. Suddenly light streamed down towards them, and they all quickened their paces slightly. Abruptly, the tunnel sloped upwards and then revealed the sunlight, trees, the sound of birds chirping and wind blowing, overall, life. At first the light was overwhelming. Sparrow's eyes took an unnaturally long time to adjust. She probably would have been close to blind if there hadn't been torches in the tunnel. It only took a small amount of time in darkness to do that to one's eyes. She was suddenly very thankful for those torches. When her eyes finished adjusting she looked around to appreciate all the sights that being above ground hailed. Reaver and Garth seemed just as pleased.

With a rush of adrenaline and enthusiasm, they went in search of food and water. Not until after they'd replenished and eaten did any of them think about where they were.

"Wraithmarsh for sure." Reaver announced when Sparrow mentioned it.

She looked around and noted that although it looked similar to Wraithmarsh, it didn't look precisely the same.

"We're not in the heart of it, mind you. This is more like the outskirts of it." Reaver furthered.

Garth, who seemed too tired after eating and drinking, had dozed off. It was strange to be having a conversation without his voice making his opinion clear. When she looked back at Reaver he was smiling at her.

"What?"

"He's…asleep." Reaver said, slightly playful.

Sparrow arched an eyebrow. "And?"

The pirate stood and started into the slightly bogged forest, turning his head at her in a beckoning manner. Confused, she stood and followed him. The bog seemed to swallow him up and he disappeared for a while. She slowed down, not sure if this was smart.

"Reaver…" Her voice trailed off in the thickness of the air.

Suddenly she heard a swift movement behind her and then a hand was gripping her just below the throat, and another wrapped in front of her waist. For just a second she was about to let loose a full-scale blast of heat in self-defense, and then she realized she recognized the hands. Relaxing, her lips broke out into a smile.

"Very funny." She said.

She heard him chuckle close to her ear, and then his lips brushed up against her neck. She should have guessed he'd be in this sort of mood after not having had her for over a week now. She twisted in his embrace and as he leaned in to capture her lips, she whispered softly, "You should be more careful with those surprise attacks…" She waited as he looked at her questioningly. "I almost set you ablaze with an unforgiving fire."

He grinned but swiftly continued to kiss her. All the feelings she'd been holding back since having Garth arrive seemed to come back like a river rushing through a dam. Beneath all her feelings though, she wondered how he could still have this sort of craving so near to his mortal enemy. Perhaps that just something males were capable of.

Nevertheless, she accepted him completely and actually enjoyed herself for first time since, well, since the last time. She realized she really could be happy with only him around for eternity. Only he gave her this sort of happiness. Desperately, she hoped he felt precisely the same way towards her.

"Ah hem."

Like a chain being ripped apart, Reaver tore himself away from her and jumped back almost a foot. Sparrow felt jolted, and turned in a daze.

"I try to get a little nap and of course you two run off on your first opportunity." Garth said, his brows furrowed in a completely disapproving, even disgusted way.

Sparrow heard Reaver sigh exasperatedly.

"Can you not mind your own business for about twenty minutes?" he asked, bitterly.

Garth's eyes narrowed, insulted, on Reaver. "You of all people shouldn't be thinking about such matters when the Shadow Court are most likely only hours away."

"It's not your job to serve as a personal conduct enforcer. It's not like we're not all adults here." Reaver retorted.

To Sparrow, she had to agree with Garth in the thought that Reaver probably shouldn't have been trying to get her clothes off when they could be under attack at any second, but then again she wasn't complaining. She couldn't help but agree with Reaver in saying that Garth was being unnecessarily concerned with their relationship as well. It needed to stop.

"Garth." She said, but realized he and Reaver were throwing insults at each other.

"Garth!" She said louder.

She got his attention and he looked at her, his eyes still hard and upset.

"You really do have to stop this." She declared.

Garth opened his mouth to reply, but she wouldn't let him.

"You have no rights to keep trying to 'separate' us, or whatever it is you think you're accomplishing by always keeping one eye on us and never letting us be alone. We _are_ both adults and can take full consequence for our actions."

Garth didn't reply to this. He only glanced between her and Reaver, and then gave up. He walked past them, heading on into the bog.

Reaver's eyes met hers from where he'd sprung. She held out her hand and he took it, then they followed after Garth.

/-/-/-/

Wraithmarsh slowly evolved into what Sparrow remembered it to be like as they kept going. No banshees appeared, as they were closer to the Shadow Court cave. As night fell, they stopped and made a small fire to cook with. When they'd finished the cooking though, Garth stamped it out.

"We need a battle plan." Garth stated.

Sparrow, sitting next to Reaver around the fire for the first time since Garth had arrived, looked up.

"What are the options we have?" Reaver asked, his voice constrained by his distaste for the other man.

"We can either go straight to Bloodstone and get rid of this dark wizard, or go into the Shadow Court realm. Which one seems more effective?" Garth asked.

Reaver contemplated for a while before speaking. "I think we should go to the realm."

"Why?" Sparrow asked. She personally thought it would better to save Bloodstone first.

"I believe the dark wizard is drawing his power from the Judges. If we eliminate them, then he becomes incredibly weaker and we can finish him off afterwards." Reaver replied.

Sparrow registered that if they killed the Shadow Court first, then there weren't Reaver's immortality. He'd be fighting the dark wizard as a mortal, with the risk of dying during the fight. That was much too hard to bear for Sparrow.

"No." She said.

Reaver turned his head towards her, and she felt Garth's gaze as well. When she looked up into Reaver's eyes, she knew he understood. He had understood what it would mean before he'd even said the words.

"You can't let something as trivial as that stop you from doing what will be easiest…" He said quietly.

"If that happens though…it would be much too soon, Reaver. I can deal with it if I've had at least a lifetime…but to have only had a month or so?" Sparrow replied, trying to be vague as Garth could hear.

She saw Reaver's eyes flicker towards the other man, and then shift back to her. "It will never be easier." He said pointedly. "Besides, there's no guarantee that it will happen."

"But I can't deal with that small chance…" Sparrow argued.

"I hate to interrupt, but _what _are we talking about here?" Garth finally chimed in.

Reaver looked up, and Sparrow knew he was going to tell the whole story now. "With the Shadow Court gone, I won't be immortal anymore."

Sparrow expected everything to be made clear now, but Garth still looked slightly perplexed.

"So?" He said.

"I could die fighting the dark wizard." Reaver elaborated.

Garth still shrugged. "And why is Sparrow so unhappy? You would lose her soon enough either way."

Reaver frowned. "It's not about me losing her…it's the other way around."

Garth shook his head, looking completely baffled now.

Sparrow put her hand on Reaver's and looked at Garth. "When Theresa healed me, she made me immortal as well." She said heavily.

Garth's eyes got bigger.

"If Reaver dies, then I'll be the one who lives on without anyone for years to come. Not the other way around."

"But if he says killing the Shadow Court first will make it much easier to kill the dark knight, then we have to do it that way, Sparrow. Otherwise we'll all just tire out fighting him." Garth replied, reason prevailing.

Sparrow hung her head. "I know."

"And…like he said…it's not guaranteed that the dark wizard will kill him when we battle. Just like it's not guaranteed that I'll be killed." Garth furthered.

Sparrow hadn't even considered Garth being killed. He could die just trying to kill the Shadow Court. She suddenly felt even more depressed. She was the only who would definitely walk away alive after both attacks. And she could very well be the only one.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Wow, um, I bet you're wondering who I am by now. Or…did you miss me? Haha, either way, at one point in time you read this story and found it to your likings and now you have an update for it. It's been since February when I last updated this story! O_O Sorry if I made you lose hope. I plan on making this story approximately 3 or 4 more chapters and then it will finally draw to a close. Thanks for being loyal, or if you're a new recruit, thanks for checking it out! **

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The three adventurers fell into a light sleep, thoughts of the next day's inevitable battles toying with their nerves. Sparrow lay wide awake in the darkness, eyes peering blankly through the foliage at the twinkling stars. The night was so peaceful. It didn't even seem possible that all of Albion was under an inhuman threat with the silent breeze and small scuttling sounds of nocturnal animals within the marshy forest. Sparrow was distraught with images of Reaver and Garth dying painful deaths and her walking away from the battles untouched and perfectly alive. She blinked tightly trying to drive the images out of her mind. She forced herself to remember her lifetime crusade against Lucien instead. The eventual victory gave her comfort. She finally drifted into sleep, having successfully deterring her mind.

Reaver waited until the breathing of his two companions settled into a steady rhythm that indicated sleep. He rose then and stood, brushing the leaves from his clothes and gazing at Sparrow remorsefully. For a short amount of time he'd let himself believe he'd have many lifetimes with her to share and cherish. Visions of adventuring together, accomplishing deeds for villages, cleaning up Bloodstone, sharing the nights had all faded away as he had realized what the conclusion of his quest would mean. He had faith in Sparrow though. If he had managed 227 years of immortality alone, she could do at least as much. He glanced at Garth then, and even though he found the other man particularly annoying, he did consider him a friend. He _was_ helping, after all.

"Good luck…" He muttered wistfully.

He returned his gaze to Sparrow and reached down to fondle a strand of her coal black hair. There was no telling what she would do when morning came. He had a few ideas, but he wouldn't be there to see how it played out. He let out a deep breath and then released her hair and peered into the surrounding forest.

"I love you." He whispered to the sleeping figure.

Making barely a sound, the legendary pirate mayor of Bloodstone loaded his master turret pistol, holstered it, took a final look at his companions, and then with a steely resolve he took the steps that led into the mist of the forest and disappeared into the night.

Reaver didn't have to try to remember the way to his destination – it was etched upon his memory so distinctly by the recurring nightmare that had always stayed with him that he could find the way with his eyes closed. In consequence to this, the time it took to get there was cut nearly in half. Reaver reached the entrance to the Shadow Court in record time and then stared reluctantly at the stone door, its empty insignia beckoning his seal. Gathering his wits, Reaver inserted the Dark Seal and twisted the lock until the door creaked slowly open. He stepped within the waiting shadows and gripped his pistol before he began the trek.

The last time he had been inside the cave had been that fateful night 200 years ago, and now the way nothing had changed at all was frightfully disconcerting. It unnerved Reaver to smell the same musky stench of lurking balvarines, to see the same molded grime upon the cold walls, and to hear the same eerie groans and screeches that had been present during his first journey. But Reaver was not the same naïve lad he had been then. He strode now with a purpose had had never possessed before, and nothing within the cave could hope to direct him down a different path with different options. His mind was made up, set in stone, and he knew what must be carried out.

As he was still under the protection of the Shadow Judges, the shadowy creatures that resided in the cave managed to keep themselves calm and not attack this friend of theirs. They had gotten to fight not long ago anyhow, and had lost miserably, and so they weren't as eager to start a row. Reaver waded past them as a shark swims unchallenged among fish in the sea. He found the only thing that was different was the absence of a ghost weeping somewhere in the distance. Perhaps the element was missing because the Shadow Judges knew that he had figured out their ploy long ago, or mayhap they meant to get straight down to it when he reached them. Either way, Reaver would find them soon enough.

And he did. The all too familiar catacomb with the hovering island in center came into view and he came out onto the balcony that offered a view to the island.

The vision of watching the Judges twist into life was like watching his nightmare in real life. Their cruel faces took him in and seemed to smile pleasantly with lips they did not have, and to drink in his form with eyes that should have been where there were only empty sockets. Reaver shoved aside the impulse to shudder as the ringleader floated forward slightly and pointed its bony ghost of a finger at him.

"Ah Reaver, it's nice to see you again. It's been…ages. We'd begun to think you'd _forgotten_ about your dear friends in the Shadow Court." It rasped.

Reaver narrowed his eyes. "I've been a little distracted as of late, as fate would have it."

"Indeed. I take it you received our last message. Are you here to sacrifice yourself?"

They both knew the answer, but it had to be asked anyways for formality's sake.

Reaver braced himself and answered, "I am not. I am here to end this contract once and for all."

"Ah." The Judge took a hold of a parchment that materialized in front of it in thin air and looked it over quickly. "I would love to help you out on that matter, but you have signed a binding contract that does not expire until…hmm. It seems to be lacking an expiration date."

"If the contract itself can not be terminated, then there are other ways to nullify our agreement." Reaver commented.

The parchment faded away and the Judge seemed to grow savagely grave at this. "That would be most unpleasant…for all present parties."

"An unfortunate fact, but an accepted one."

The Shadow Judge remained silent, casting its eyeless stare upon Reaver, sizing him up, challenging him, _daring _him to evoke the traditional battle.

"I hereby declare that I will destroy the Shadow Court." Reaver said clearly and loudly, so that no mistakes could be made.

The Shadow Judge seemed to grin for a split second before it said smoothly, "What a pity."

With a howl that rent the silence, the balvarines descended upon Reaver within seconds and a terrible roaring erupted from the bottomless pit of the catacomb. Reaver fended off the balvarines from afar as best he could, toning out the amplitude of the roaring from his mind. His sure and lightning fast shot did him justice. The balvarines peeled off one by one before any could get close enough to so much as scratch Reaver. The creatures seemed to keep coming relentlessly, as if there were no end to their ranks, and Reaver was tiring after long and many minutes. He knew he was running low on ammo; bullets couldn't be reused and he could only arm himself with so many at a time. The balvarines thinned out rapidly now, though, and finally the last one fell dead a few feet away from the panting man.

The roaring increased in decimal as the Shadow Judges twisted back into view. One flew towards him and Reaver found himself engulfed within the spirits being, battling a shadowy heaviness that lay upon all of his body. The thing screamed in a high pitch that reached deeper than the roaring as it swarmed about the man. Reaver managed to tear his eyes open and look at the specter. There was a mass of darkness in the center that pulsated as a heart would in a chest cavity. Reaver gripped his dagger without thinking and thrust the short blade into the shadowy organ, eliciting an ear-splitting shriek of pain from the Judge. It quickly diminished and disappeared, apparently dead and out of existence. But before Reaver could compose himself again, the second of the Judges was upon him. Now that Reaver had his dagger out and knew what to do, it wasn't quite as difficult to struggle towards piercing the shadowy heart the Judge possessed. In the same manner of the first, the phantom faded into nonexistence.

Reaver's knees went weak and he tried to steady himself as the last Judge eyed him from its throne in a standard stare-off manner. Reaver hardened his eyes and forced his body up right. Despite his immortality, his body felt the effects of fighting the undead. He saw, for the first time in years, large scratches upon his hands and arms, and he knew his head was throbbing in a most sharp of ways. The deaths of two of his sources for immortality had rendered him liable to injury. The only source keeping him strong enough to continue was the final Judge. It launched itself without warning towards Reaver, and the final battle ensued. Reaver felt astute pains all over his body, pains he hadn't felt in centuries that made it that much harder to force his body to do as he bid it. He wrestled with the Judge, trying to get a good aim for the heart, but the thing was crafty and it maneuvered itself into a protected position every time Reaver saw an opening. They fought with neither of them gaining an advantage for what felt like hours before Reaver jammed his dagger into one the empty eye sockets. The Judge shrank away, grasping the socket as it shrieked, and Reaver went forward swiftly to the heart. He struck it without any hesitance, plunging the dagger right into the same heart that was keeping his own body alive, and in doing so, he was killing the Judge as well as himself.

/--/-/-/-/-/--/

Sparrow rose quickly when she realized one body was absent at the camp. She saw Garth, who she had startled awake and was looking at her strangely, and then she didn't see anyone else.

"Reaver…" She breathed into the cold morning air.

Garth directed his gaze to where Reaver had lain and registered the absence. With a solemn swamp of gazes, the two leapt up and Sparrow bounded into the marshy forest with Garth hot on her heels. She only had to think about it for a moment to guess where Reaver had gone. Partly to save Garth from unnecessary danger, partly to spare her the scene of his demise, and partly to heal the wrong he had done so many years ago, Reaver had decided he had to do the dark deed alone. Sparrow knew she should have seen it coming. Men always did this sort of thing: thinking that they had to fix what they had done wrong all by themselves and unaided in order for it to really count as them fixing a great evil. She was sure that, if roles had been switched, Garth would have felt compelled to do just the same thing no matter how logical he was.

The two raced silently through the spindly tree trunks and came to the entrance of the cave shortly. Sparrow noted the way the door was slightly left open, revealing but a slim view of the darkness inside. Garth helped her heave the door apart and then they descended into the tunnel. Not far along they heard screaming that made their bones chatter and the hairs of the backs of their necks stand up straight. The chilling screeches grew louder and Sparrow hurried on. She felt certain that Reaver was at the source of those screams, and certain that his situation was precarious. She lost Garth in her rush, and she finally made it to the chamber where the sounds emanated from.

She looked upon the scene with a certain dread, knowing she'd be too late before she could yell. Reaver was interlocked with the last of the Judges, dueling fiercely she could see, and he had just aimed his dagger to the awful thing's shadowed heart. Within a matter of seconds, the ghostly form disappeared into nothingness, and Reaver's body lost its adrenaline, slumping down to the floor uselessly.

Sparrow threw herself at him and caught his form just before it clanged against the cobbled floor. She sank to her knees and cradled the man's head in her arms, shaking as she peered into his retreating eyes. She stroked his cheek as tears started rolling down her cheeks. Garth had arrived and stood forgotten behind her, his eyes severe as he watched hopelessly.

Reaver's breaths came quickly and were shallow. He couldn't explain how alive he felt to be someone who was dying. The touch of Sparrow's hand was soothing, and he was so glad to be able to see her last before he saw nothing at all, but he hadn't wanted her to be here when it happened. He hadn't wanted her to see him torn and tattered, broken and weak. She was supposed to remember him in his glory, when he was strong and passionate.

"You…shouldn't be here…." He managed to say, gazing up into her moist eyes.

She shook her head, choking back a sob of emotion. "You're telling me."

He smiled feebly and blinked gradually, his lids fluttering.

"Why?" Sparrow asked him, her lips quivering in effort.

"It was my…battle to…fight." He answered.

Sparrow wanted to argue that he could have asked help and then he might not be so warn down. He might have had a chance to live out his regular life span if he had let her help him fend off the attacks. She took in his battered body, bleeding so in places that it soaked through the cloth that was his clothes. His pistol had been carelessly tossed to the ground when he had switched to his dagger, she saw. She reached over him and picked it up.

"Keep it safe." He said when he saw what she had done.

"Always."

"Sparrow…I do love you…more than is…wise." He whispered.

She nodded, but his words caused more tears to spring to her eyes. She watched him shift his gaze to the ceiling involuntarily as the last of his life slowly slipped away, leaving the beaten body as the only memento he had ever been there at all.

Sparrow couldn't retain herself any longer. A heart-breaking cry came forth from her throat, echoing hollowly up into the vastness of the catacomb so that all might hear her sorrow and grief.

She suddenly felt warm arms around her shoulders as Garth wrapped her into his embrace and pulled her close to him. Sparrow reluctantly released what used to be Reaver's face and allowed the wizard to shield her from the raw acuteness of the facts lying before her. She sobbed into Garth's chest, her heart aching violently within her chest. Garth tried his best to soothe her, letting her knew he was there.

The master turret pistol was still in Sparrow's hand.

**A/N: Gah, I'm sorry, please don't kill me! –runs and hides- I have to admit I had this planned all along…and believe it or not, there is still more to the story. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I hope not too many hearts have been shattered after that last chapter. I know if I was the reader of this story and not the writer that would have been really hard to read. And yet, it was somehow very fun to write. Oh the irony…**

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It was well into the morning when Sparrow and Garth stepped into the sunlight and out of the Shadow Court. Sparrow had forced Garth to haul her out of the catacomb and away from Reaver's lifeless body in the end. Neither of them felt right about just leaving the body and not giving Reaver some sort of burial, but Garth had made a point of reminding Sparrow of the dark wizard in Bloodstone. They couldn't afford to waste time and let the wizard continue thriving in Albion. They would have to defeat the wizard and then return for the body if they were going to do anything with it at all.

Sparrow followed meekly behind Garth as they trudged through the abandoned land of Wraithmarsh. It was a silent trek with no attacks by bandits or banshees, as if the world was nodding in acknowledgment and respect at the defeat of its worst unnatural enemy. Sparrow could care less at this point. She didn't remember why it was so important that the dark wizard be defeated. So what if he raised an army, destroyed Bloodstone, which was already a horrible town, corrupted the entirety of Albion? What was the point?

Sparrow could swear she still felt the prickle of Reaver's stubbly chin upon her fingertips. She still saw that last lingering gaze he had cast at her, she remembered the way the luster in his gray-green orbs had dulled right before her eyes in plain sight. She blinked and shook her head as she walked, trying to forbid those visions. She would much rather see Reaver as he was before everything had gone wrong. Would she ever stop seeing his flirtatious smirk, or the feeling of his arms around her? It wasn't possible.

The two travelers passed the Demon Door, ignoring it's idle chattering, and crested the large hill that sloped down into Bloodstone. Garth halted and examined the city from up high. Sparrow looked at Bloodstone, but she didn't know what she was seeing. Garth glanced back at her after a few moments' inspection and then turned and put his hands on her shoulders, trying to gain her attention.

"Sparrow…"

She blinked and focused on him.

"I know…you're grieving right now. I know you probably would rather be doing anything else. But, you _have_ to snap out of this daze for just a while. If you go into battle in this state, the whole thing will be pointless and I'll just end up dead." Garth said clearly, looking straight into her eyes.

Sparrow only heard a few of his words. Grieving…battle…pointless…end…dead. Yes, she was grieving because there was a pointless battle and it ended a life and now Reaver is dead. She took those words and put them together in that order and heard nothing else. Garth's lips kept moving afterwards, but she wasn't sure what he was saying now. Were those more tears coming out of her eyes? She brushed them off of cheeks.

Garth stopped as he realized everything was going in one ear and out the other. He sighed and shook his head. He was going to have to take a different approach to this.

"Reaver is gone." He said bluntly.

Sparrow's eyes snapped to him with sudden alertness at that.

"Reaver…is dead. He's not coming back." He made sure to say every word slowly and watched to see that it sank in. "He will have died in vain though, Sparrow, if all you do is stand here wallowing. He died so we could kill this dark wizard easily. And now, if you really loved him…" He paused, making sure he still had her attention. "…then you have to help me kill this man."

Sparrow felt numb, but she understood. Reaver _was _dead. She'd watched him die in her arms and there was no questioning the cold hard fact. She was angry at the Shadow Judges for it. First they'd stolen her youth and nearly caused her own death, and then they killed Reaver. Garth was right. The only way to make Reaver's death not pointless as she viewed it now, was to finish what they had started.

"Alright…" She whispered. "I'm ready…"

Garth nodded and then they turned and started down into Bloodstone.

The city was quiet, unmoving, and seemed grey in comparison to its usually bustling streets and less than polite citizens making themselves known to the entire city. That in itself let the two know that the dark wizard was definitely in the vicinity, not to mention the dark clouds swirling ominously overhead that emitted low rumblings. In common agreement, they headed towards Reaver's mansion. If there was one place the dark wizard would take the most pleasure in waiting for them, it was the Bloodstone Mansion. It was a perfectly ironic location that would both harbor memories and leave new ones behind after this day.

As they approached the towering building, they stopped, sizing it up carefully. The lights had all been dimmed on the inside, and there was still no evidence of a single soul residing within. Arming herself with her pistol, Sparrow followed behind Garth through the entrance. The elaborate furnishings were still intact and nothing appeared touched or tainted. Everything was eerily as it should be, as Sparrow had left it that day with Reaver when the spire guards were pouring into the city. _Bloodstone sure has been knocked down a lot recently…no wonder it's never been able to clean itself up. It's never up off its back for more than a year or so._

"Let's search the place…" Garth murmured.

Even though it seemed daunting to split up, they did. Sparrow went through all the rooms on the second floor, her eyes lingering over Reaver's king sized beds and thinking to herself how he'd never technically gotten her into _his _bed. They met back in the study, neither having found anything at all to suggest a third presence. Sparrow hopefully thought perhaps the wizard's severed connection to the Shadow Court had taken him out of the living realm, but she knew that was wishful thinking. He may have been summoned by the dead, but more than likely he was living, simply because the Court knew that would make the whole ordeal trickier.

They started towards the entrance to leave when suddenly the front door was kicked in with a tremendous banging sound.

"That was too easy," came a smooth, lilting, male voice from a tall and darkly glowing figure now standing in the doorway. Two corrupt pupils peered at them like red pinpricks from the shadowed face resting upon the broad shoulders. "It couldn't have been easier to back you two right into a corner. And they told me you were intelligent!" The dark wizard chuckled, appreciating his joke.

Garth's veins glowed more fiercely in a royal blue color as he summoned his will to hand. The wizard noted this and still seemed humored.

"So eager to get entangled up and cut out the chit chat? I knew she," he pointed at Sparrow while keeping his eyes trained on Garth, "was like that, but you too?"

"Words are not needed in this case." Garth muttered coolly.

"No? Well, I suppose you're right. I do need to get this over with so I can finish up." The wizard replied, the glint of humor in his eyes quickly fading to be replaced with a look of a businessman making a big deal.

Before Garth could summon up a spell, the floor creaked beneath his feet and suddenly split apart as if an earthquake had forced it to. Garth leapt up and managed to jump to a firm part of the floor while Sparrow lithely bent backwards and rolled to safety. When she came upright again spells were being thrown back and forth in blurs of magic between Garth and the wizard. She was about to add her own attack to the mix when she saw figures rushing towards the mansion behind the wizard, still standing in the doorway. The wizard moved aside to let his friends have access to the battle and Sparrow quickly started picking them off as they approached, watching them drop like flies with a small sense of satisfaction.

There weren't many cronies, as it would figure out. Sparrow decided the wizard expected it to be a short-lived battle and didn't come as prepared as he'd originally thought he had. When the last of them fell like stone to the ground she turned and saw that the two wizards had backed into the study room now, and Garth seemed to be getting himself stuck in a corner. Sparrow took aim at the dark wizard but somehow the man knew her bullet was coming and she had to blink as she watched the small pellet slow down to a near halt and then drop to the ground right before it would have grazed into the wizard's backside. The wizard had done it all without even turning his head to acknowledge her attempt.

Sparrow kept trying to shoot him as his battle ensued with Garth, but no matter how quickly she let loose bullets or how many she let fly at a time, they all fell before him to clang depressingly onto the wooden floor. Garth was literally pushed up onto the wall at this point, and the vibrancy of his royal blue veins had faded dramatically to a sky blue. With the ease of a cat clamping its jaws upon a mouse in a last, fatal blow, the dark wizard hefted an enormous ball of fire encompassed with lightning streaks at Garth. He was able to block most of it, but not quite enough to evade injury. The dark-skinned man dropped to his knees, shivering visibly.

Sparrow furrowed her brows, determined. She summoned her own will as the dark wizard turned to face her, a grim smirk etched upon his lips.

"How valiant. Still trying even though you're doomed to fail. Why do you bother? To soothe your conscious when you think back to this day and remember how you never gave up? Juvenile." He taunted as he slowly approached her.

"I'm not sure what makes you think you'll be able to do better than him. He's the academic, not you."

Sparrow ignored his baiting and started throwing her flames and time shifting in front and behind him so that he could never quite get her in one place long enough to hit her with a spell. She actually felt like she was doing well until he laughed as she circled around him randomly.

"Impressive, but nowhere near what you'd need to be capable of to even hope of victory." He chimed.

With a bored flick of his wrist, Sparrow felt her body lock into place like a statue. She couldn't move her feet, legs, waist, or anything. She couldn't twist away as the dark wizard closed in on her, grinning sadistically.

"Perhaps you can not be killed. But there are worse things than death. Imagine having an eternity to do whatever you please, only to be maimed and unable to do anything other than lay in a bed. Denied the pleasures of the skin, the beauty of the world I will create, and…come to think of it…you won't even have a bed. I'll make sure you are left in the most remote of places so that you'll never interfere again."

Sparrow cringed internally. The thought of her never-ending life without Reaver was world shattering enough as it was, but to be a vegetable as the dark wizard had described was even worse. She didn't doubt he could do it, either. He'd bested Garth and he had something left of his connection to the Shadow Court. She watched with a doomed expression upon her face, the only part of her body he hadn't frozen in place.

"What's the matter? Does an eternity like that sound so bad? It's only…forever." The dark wizard laughed maniacally, his chest heaving.

When he was through, he began to glow in a black cloud of shadowy fog that was his will. Sparrow knew he was building up his magic to do fate knew what to her, but she kept a defiant gaze, not letting this man think he'd gotten the best of her even if he had. The wizard's eyes twinkled in pleasure as he watched her try to squirm out of harm's way, and then he raised his arms up, taking his time to cast the curse.

No sooner had his lips parted to utter a sound had a look of pure shock and terror seized him followed almost instantaneously by the loud bang of a gunshot. Sparrow watched, her eyes wide as the dark wizard stood stock still as red oozing liquid began pouring from his chest through his dark robes, pooling around his feet. The shadowy cloud that nearly consumed his figure faded away to gray and then disappeared completely as his knees buckled and he fell down, dead.

Sparrow blinked, watching his unmoving body disbelievingly. But it was real. Her body bind suddenly loosened and she could move, though the first move she made was to uncontrollably sink down in shock and bewilderment. She finally tore her eyes away from the fallen body to see what had caused the miracle.

He stood in the entrance, looking alive and beautiful as he ever had, gray eyes speckled with green watching her intently as his pistol hovered in the air, smoke wafting up lazily to prove it had done its job. Sparrow's jaw was agape, she knew, but it was impossible.

"I thought he'd never shut up." Reaver stated in an annoyed, flamboyant tone.

Sparrow smiled then, and before she knew it, she was in his arms as he'd rushed over to her and embraced her tenderly. She was crying again, but not at all out of agony. Those were the blessed tears of rejoice. She took in everything about him. His smell, his feel, the sound of his heartbeat as they sat there, enwrapped with each other for only a few seconds that felt stretched into hours.

"You're…alive…" She finally whispered into his ear when she'd found the strength to speak.

"Of course. I'd be insulted if you thought something as mundane as the realm of death would take me down that easily."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Haha, that was great. I bet I fooled so many of you guys. But seriously, how could you believe I was just going to leave you hanging without one last chapter to sum everything that has happened up so that the truth is revealed? It's alright, I forgive you all for doubting my good intentions. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone yet again for reading my story and to say this is the long awaited conclusion. **

**/--/-/-/-/-/--/**

"Well…this is mind-boggling indeed."

Sparrow turned her head, remaining in Reaver's embrace, and saw Garth gaining his feet. She never wanted to leave the comfort of the pirate's arms again. It was too easy to imagine him lost forever as she had believed him to be only a few short minutes ago.

Garth found his balance and walked over to them, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared at Reaver.

"You look…live enough. I suppose you're not a strange conjured image or a ghost." He speculated.

"A ghost indeed." Reaver snorted. "My perfect body could never be replicated in its full essence as a transparent _spirit_. I am alive and well as ever I was."

"I do believe I have realized as much…" Garth replied, but he still had a touch of an odd look about his face, as if he couldn't quite figure out the answer to a complex riddle.

Reaver stood, pulling Sparrow up with him in the process. She finally pulled her face out of his shoulder and seemed content to keep her arm around his waist possessively. He didn't seem to mind.

"How…_did _you manage to rise from the dead?" Garth finally gave up trying to figure it out on his own.

"Now how would you expect me to still be here if I told just anyone my secrets?" Reaver replied, flicking his wrist in a dismissive gesture. He was obviously not about to reveal how he'd pulled off the miracle.

"Fine then, but I will find out with or without your help." Garth grimaced, annoyed.

"Not likely."

Sparrow sighed. "He's back less than five minutes and you're both already quarreling."

They glanced at her and Reaver smirked as Garth struggled not to grin and shrugged. They turned to look at the crumpled body of the dark wizard. He lay in a pile of limpness that was an ironic contrast to how powerful he'd been in life. Sparrow was just about to ask what they should do with the corpse when a dark, shadowy cloud began to form around it. The cadaver was enveloped within the shadowy cloud; much in the way the city of Bloodstone had been by the darkness that had ominously settled overhead. Within a few moments, the cloud shrunk in on itself and evaporated, leaving not a trace of the dead wizard.

"Back to the shadows from whence he came." Garth muttered.

They were all relieved not to have to handle to dead man. Reaver glanced around his mansion and frowned despairingly.

"My home is ruined." He stated darkly.

Sparrow followed his gaze and took in the rough damage the building had suffered, from the menacing pit the wizard had created in his entrance, to the scorch marks on the wooden walls from the flame spells.

"I'm sure you've had to repair it before." Garth ventured, obviously not too put off by the debris everywhere.

"Of course, but it's never the same afterwards." Reaver replied, sounding less confident than usual for him.

Garth arched a brow at him in a disbelieving gaze. "You actually sound defeated – and how amazing that it's not because of the incredible journey you have just finished, but because your precious mansion has a few dent marks."

Sparrow couldn't help a chuckle, as she had to agree with Garth. Reaver hadn't once sounded defeated during their journey to get to the Shadow Court or the dark wizard, but here he stood looking hopeless and forlorn because of the state of disrepair his mansion was in.

Reaver was not as amused. "A home isn't simply a home. A home represents he who lives inside it. It is a symbol of wealth, prosperity, happiness, and valiance. What kind of symbol is a ruined mansion?"

"Come now, Reaver, a house does not define a man, the man defines the house." Sparrow contradicted before he could work himself into a frenzy.

He eyed her and then gave way to her unwavering smile. The three walked out onto his front steps and looked up at the sky. The darkness had already faded and the brightness of the sun's light was peeking through the disappearing storm clouds, showering Bloodstone in a cleansing light that seemed to promise a new beginning. The citizens and outlaws would soon return to their homes when they realized the danger had passed, and then town life would return to normal, and life would go on.

"So what happens now?" Sparrow heard herself queue.

"I am off again, back to my studies I so kindly abandoned in order to assist the two of you – unless there is yet another hidden threat over Albion Reaver hasn't told us about yet?"

"I know you believe me to be capable of more trouble than a madman with power, but I honestly have run out of it. I'm sad to inform you that the land is safe yet again." Reaver replied.

Garth smiled and then put his hand upon Sparrow's shoulder. "I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do from this point. Goodbye."

"Farewell." Sparrow replied, smiling.

Garth nodded to Reaver and then he walked down the steps and towards the city. As he went, his form subtly became less and less visible and eventually faded into the rays of light shrouding him. He had simply disappeared as wizards can and do.

Reaver put his arm around Sparrow and smiled serenely.

"Well, we've got the place to ourselves now." Sparrow commented, and turned her head ever so slightly so as to see the pirate's response.

He raised a brow at her. "I don't think my bedchamber was damaged in your epic dueling…"

Sparrow smirked at him, but before she could reply with some suggestive remark, Reaver had swept her off her feet and into his arms. He bent over her head and kissed her fiercely as he headed inside the scorched foyer and up the splintered stairway.

The bedroom was virtually untouched and all its furnishings were still in opulent condition. Sparrow remembered she'd never actually been in Reaver's bed, and then a fluttery anticipation overtook her as the man tossed her gently onto the elegant sheets and hovered over her.

They paused as Sparrow held his gaze levelly, enjoying the amorous way he seemed to peer into her soul and understand precisely what she was feeling. She gently held his cheek, and smiled tenderly.

"You have no idea how hard it was…" She managed.

He knew what she was referring to, and frowned.

"No, I don't…and I don't ever want you to have to go through it again." He replied passionately.

This brought up questions, but Sparrow never got the chance to ask them as Reaver kissed her again. Her thoughts evaporated and she lost herself in his arms.

**/--/-/-/-/-/--/**

The next morning Sparrow woke in the bed, warm and cozy underneath the cover and cuddled next to Reaver's body snuggly. He stirred a few moments later, having sensed her movements in his sleep. He turned and looked at her, smiling. She kissed his in a good morning gesture and blinked slowly.

"That will never get old." He stated.

"Never." She agreed.

She propped herself up on the pillow beside him, gazing at his chest and then his sculpted face as he became more awake.

"Why did you do it?" She asked. It was one of many questions that had stayed with her through the love and sleep.

"Which 'it' are we referring to?" He replied evasively.

"Not stick to the plan. You left in the morning without us to go to the Shadow Court on your own." She said, not wanting to dawdle. She wanted her answers.

Reaver sighed. He had known he wouldn't be able to get away with keeping his secrets from her, but he had enjoyed putting it off as long as possible.

"It was my duty to carry out. There was no reason to put the two of you in harm's way when I was the only one necessary to destroy the Shadow Court. I knew you two would be alive to take care of the wizard. And…" He hesitated.

She waited, silent and expectant.

"And I didn't want you to see what happened. I didn't want you to see me die at their hands in such an inglorious way. But you did anyways." He looked down, regretful.

"But you're not dead. How is that?" Sparrow continued.

He looked up again at this, grinning triumphantly. "As I said before, something as mundane as the realm of death isn't enough to take me down. It so happens our way-faring friend Theresa journeys in many realms."

"Theresa? She was there?"

"She was. And you know…she's a pretty nice friend to have connections to when you're dead. Do you recall when we were in the Spire after Lucien was defeated?"

Sparrow nodded, "Yes…I made my wish then, and so did Hammer and Garth, and…" She drifted off.

"I never made my wish." Reaver finished her thought.

"But…you said you didn't need a wish. You forfeited it…" Sparrow replied, bewildered.

"Apparently you can't forfeit a wish, as Theresa so kindly informed me. You can simply put it off. So, I made my wish when she found me in the realm of the dead." Reaver elaborated, watching her eyes as she took it all in.

Sparrow finally rested her gaze once more on his eyes. "And what did you wish?"

"To be alive again, of course." He replied quickly, glancing at his nails in a matter of fact way.

Sparrow eyed him, calculating. He definitely appeared to not be telling the whole truth, but he didn't look guilty. Rather he looked like he was anticipating something. She had learned to read his looks very well by now, and she didn't think she was wrong.

"And that's all?"

He glanced at her, smirking slightly.

"You didn't ask for your immortality to be returned?" She edged.

"Well, you see, immortality is a very big thing to wish for. To be immortal, you can't just be anyone. You have to be someone worthy of such power. Theresa has known me…not too long. But long enough to judge me. I figured she wouldn't want to grant me so grand a wish." Reaver replied, looking genuinely crestfallen.

Sparrow sighed, looking down. The remainder of his life was more than she thought she was going to get since he had 'died', but it still didn't feel like it would ever be enough time. Not when she would live on forever no matter what. She would grow lonely and cynical, she was sure. Performing great deeds and saving the world only stayed thrilling for so long before someone wanted something more to life. She doubted very much that she'd ever find someone capable of captivating her as a lover again.

"But much to my astonishment, Theresa can be very generous in her judgments. It turns out, I have undergone some sort of moral change for the best, and I would profit Albion more with immortality than forty so more years." Reaver added after she had suffered for a few long minutes.

Sparrow grabbed her pillow and lobbed in upon his head in happy fury, relieved at this revelation and perturbed that he hadn't just told her outright. He eventually held out her vicious attack by restraining her arms and heaving her down upon the bed so that he was putting all his weight on her. She halted her struggling, finding herself beneath him, and relaxed, smiling with salty tears in her eyes. So they would have eternity together after all, after many trials and such a wild adventure in which she had never dreamed she would fall for the scandalous pirate of so many infamous tales of robbery, murder, trickery, and so many other vile crimes. But he had indeed changed, risking his life and losing it for the world that had held no promise for him until she had come along. And now here they were, with many lifetimes spread out before them, summoning them to adventure, freedom, and many, many wild and sultry nights.

Reaver leaned down, and she closed her eyes as kissed her passionately.

**/--/-/-/-/--/**

**E P I L O G U E**

_**Ten Years Later**_

A tall, robed figure climbed the last rise in the road before she stopped to glance below at the scene unfolded before her. The city of Bloodstone stood proudly as the afternoon sun hung in the sky above, casting its light upon the tall buildings. The docks welcomed a vast number of vessels, small and large, from the royal blue waters of the waters beyond. They reached around the peninsula and continued on into the adjacent bay where the most magnificent ship of them all was still, the waves lapping up against its hull. In gold lettering the words 'The Reformed Narcissist' were stenciled upon the side of the ship.

Looking back at the city itself, it was obvious that the loose and scurrilous nature of the citizens had vanished to be replaced with one of respected people and merchants. There were no prostitutes standing in dark corners, the sliminess of the architecture had been lost along with the ruffians that used to haunt the alleys and alehouses. The city seemed to be growing prosperous and as wealthy and respectable as Bowerstone, and might someday soon surpass the longstanding most popular city in Albion.

The woman raised her gaze to the famous Bloodstone Mansion, expectantly. It looked more graceful and powerful than ever. It was said that after the mysterious attack that nearly caused the expiration of the city a decade ago, the Mansion had undergone a tremendous transformation which then inspired the rest of the city to follow suit. Now the building looked nearly as beautiful and breathtaking as Fairfax Castle despite its difference in architectural design. It was nearly three stories taller than it once had been, and had been painted a vibrant red that shone all the brighter under the sun, and seemed to assume a watchful sentry role over the rest of the city.

The woman was eager to meet the inhabitants of the Mansion. She had heard many stories, but wanted to see for herself. She went down into the city, stopping every now and then to look at the goods and wears the merchants were displaying or to respond to a citizen's greetings and welcomes to the city. The horrid stench the city had once been infamous for was something of the past, for now the city had all the pleasant aromas of bakeries and metals being welded.

The woman eventually made it to the Mansion, where a footman stood at the elaborate doorway. The man bowed subserviently and opened the door to admit her.

Inside noblemen and women gathered in on the first two floors, enjoying the social hang out. The woman gently flitted through them and made it to the third staircase, where a sign clearly stated that it was an off limits floor. She supposed that was where the owners of the Mansion actually kept their private lives.

"May I help you?" Came a voice from behind.

The robed woman turned and the man noticed she was actually older than she appeared as she replied yes.

"I was hoping for an audience with the owners." The woman explained.

His brows furrowed together. "Oh, I'm quite sorry, I suppose you didn't hear…I hope you didn't make your entire journey only to be disappointed?"

"What is it?"

"Well, the owners decided to take a long vacation. It's understandable. They've been working without end on the improvement of Bloodstone for so long, it's no wonder they didn't decide to take off long ago. Oh, but they've done such a marvelous job of it all. I used to live in Westcliff and I remember when it changed from a vagabond port into a decent city. It was such a grand change! I never imagined the same would become of Bloodstone, but the masters, well, they seemed determined. It has paid off, if I do say so myself." The man replied, looking happily out a window that offered a view of the reformed city.

The woman smiled in understanding. "It does seem quite the miracle."

"Well, I am truly sorry you just missed them. They only left yesterday. They took to the sea in the more grand of their two ships." The man said.

"Where did they decide to go?"

"Oh, I forget the name of the blasted place! But exotic substances and uninhibited people as well some Garth fellow and a hammer were mentioned. I think they wanted to visit him. Ah yes, that was it. He was an old friend that had extended an invitation to visit his home in Samarkand to them." The man smiled, happy to have been able to summon the name to his mind.

The woman smiled. That sounded like something they would do. It was nice to hear that the heroes were staying in touch.

"If you have access to a ship, you might be able to catch up with them, or you could buy passage on a vessel at the docks. The masters said they were going to make sure to enjoy a relaxing boat trip. Not in a hurry with the sails a blazing and the wind in their faces, I guess." The man offered.

"I don't take particularly well to the sea, unfortunately. Who are you again?" The woman replied.

"I am Reloq Dwubin. I manage the Mansion when the masters are away and I serve as a personal assistant when they are at home."

"So you could relay a message to them upon their return?" The woman concluded.

"Certainly. What is the message?"

"Just tell them….Theresa is looking for them. Just to catch up. For old time's sake." The woman smiled mysteriously.

Reloq had the vaguest notion that she meant much more than she said, that the message seemed trivial and friendly but really had a much higher meaning. He studied her and realized she was blind then.

"I can do that." He replied after a moment.

Now that he had actually taken the time to look at her, he was intrigued. He felt someone tap his shoulder just as he opened his mouth to ask her who she was and where she was from and what she was doing. He turned around, slightly irritated but ever the polite host of the Mansion, and listened to the person talk about how splendid the social get-togethers were.

When the person finally got distracted by another guest, Reloq turned back around to find Theresa, but she woman was nowhere to be found. He looked around the room to no result, and then peered out the window to look for her retreating into the city, but saw nothing.

He frowned, wondering, and then shrugged. His masters no doubt had some strange friends, and it wasn't his place to question their connections.

**A/N: And that is the end! I am not going to do a sequel to this story, even though my epilogue does suggest another adventure is in store for the heroes. But that is just there to point out that even though Sparrow and Reaver have an eternity together now, they aren't just going to be doing nothing. There is always a need for a hero or two. :]**


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